Miraculous Two Weeks
by Sparkling Grimm
Summary: Adrien and Marinette have been paired together for a project where the guidelines are to learn about another student by living with them for one week, and seeing what their daily life is like. It's going to be an interesting two weeks. (Third Person/switches perspective between Adrien and Marinette and minor Season 2 Spoilers)
1. The Two Week Project

"Lucky number three, right girl?" Alya elbowed Marinette lightly in the side. Marinette started, and turned to her friend, wide eyed. Alya, knowing she'd get no response yet, continued, "Two weeks starting Monday."

"Yeah," Marinette whispered, returning her eyes to the board. "Monday…"

1) _Juleka Couffaine & Ivan Bruel_

2) _Alya Césaire & Rose Lavillant_

3) _Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Adrien Agreste_

4) _Nathaniel Kurtzberg & Nino Lahiffe_

5) _Mylène Haprèle & Sabrina Raincomprix_

6) _Alix Kubdel_ & _Max Kanté_

7) _Lê Chiến Kim & Chloé Bourgeois_

"Ms. Bustier, you've made a terrible mistake!" Chloe blurted out with her hand raised. "You said we were all going to be spending the week with people who could afford us-"

"No. I said I would check with each household to make certain having an extra student wouldn't be a strain on them. I have already asked all your parents, and they have all agreed to play host for the sake of our little experiment."

"But-"

"No buts, Ms. Bourgeois. I have already explained to your father why I refuse to partner you with Ms. Raincomprix. The whole basis for this project is that you spend two weeks learning new things about someone you might not have taken the time learn about on your own, and maybe learn a few things about yourself, and your own life in the process.

"Now, if I could get you all to move one at time, Juleka you can start, and Kim, I'd like you to gather things because you're going to start the next move. You're going to sit next to your partner for the whole two weeks, and keep an eye on each other, alright?"

Alya packed her bag, and fist bumped Marinette preparing to take Juleka's seat next Rose. Marinette nodded, and watched her friend head to the back of the class, very carefully not watching Adrien as he slid from his own chair, and headed around his desk, tapping his hand along it to some rhythm only he heard.

"Hi Marinette." He was smiling when she looked at him, his body half turned toward her in gesture of his openness. "So, are you excited for this project?"

A nervous giggle escaped before she could stop it. "Yeah, you'll be fun. IT! It'll be fun!"

"Okay," he laughed gently. "I'm really looking forward to it too."

Nathaniel eyed them over his shoulder, and pulled his sketch book protectively closer. The gestured went unnoticed by Marinette, but not by Adrien or Nino, the latter of whom offered his new seat partner a fist bump which the artist apprehensively accepted, "Don't worry dude, this week is gonna rock. It's all about making new friends, right?"

"Right." Nathaniel replied cautiously.

Adrien nodded still smiling. It was going to be a good two weeks.


	2. A Minor Ladybug Tale

Gabriel Agreste's words bounced around in his son's head. "I will allow you to do this, but there will be some conditions. You will be within reach at all times. If at any point, you and the girl leave her home to go anywhere but to the school, you will contact your bodyguard and obtain a ride from him. If at any point the girl engages something dangerous, you will..."

Marinette, he had wanted to say. Her name is Marinette, and she's my friend. But he hadn't. His father was taking a huge step in letting Adrien participate in the Two-Week project, and Adrien wouldn't say anything to jeopardize that, even if it DID feel like some small betrayal to Marinette, letting his father dehumanize her as 'the girl'.

"Do you understand? If you refuse to follow ANY of these rules, Natalie has already confirmed with your teacher my right to pull you out of this project. At any time."

"Yes sir. I understand."

But his bag was packed for a week's stay at Marinette's and he was almost to school.

He had been to Marinette's before of course, both as Cat Noir, and then again as himself. Her parents seemed like kind and loving people, as sweet-tempered as their daughter. He remembered the way they had sheltered Kim without question, and how they had offered him and Marinette both sweets as they gamed.

The Gorilla pulled in front of the school, interrupting his thoughts. "Thanks for the ride. I'll call you if I need you, okay?"

His bodyguard grunted the affirmative and Adrien climbed out of the car, free. Nino grinned and waved at him, but didn't move from the spot where he and Nath sat together. Marinette was talking with Alya and Rose. He didn't run to them, but nor in his excitement did he quite walk.

"Girl, you not believe what Ladybug did last night!" Alya handed Marinette her phone and pushed a button on the screen. Marinette giggled at whatever she saw. "Crazy Right!?"

"Yeah, that's pretty crazy." The dark-haired girl replied, and Adrien was surprised to hear a familiar teasing tone under those words. He knew she'd never spoken to him that way, and she was usually more sarcastic than teasing with Chloe, not that it was entirely undeserved. He must have heard her tease Alya before, he decided.

"I wish I'd gotten Cat Noir's reaction to it on the ladyblog, he just about freaked!" Alya told her. "I've never seen him look so upset."

"What are you talking about?"

"When she leapt over the Krakendrainer, it wrapped a tentacle around her leg, and started to pull and, uh, Cat Noir, didn't realize it was part of the plan. So, he jumped into the Seine to attack it." Adrien told her.

"Wha-" Marinette started.

"It was SOOO romantic!" Rose interjected.

'Romantic!?" Marinette demanded, and Alya shook her head with a half-laugh.

"Yeah, I guess it was," Adrien agreed. He wondered what Ladybug had thought of his impromptu rescue attempt. He hadn't meant it to be romantic, but wondered if she found it so, even though she was in love with some other guy. He hoped that, whoever the lucky boy was, he was the kind of person would have done the same for their Ladybug.

"Aw, Adrien. Are you a bit of a hopeless romantic like our Rose here?" Alya teased. "Are you on Team Ladybug and Cat Noir too?"

"Team Ladybug and Cat Noir?"

"Alya says that Ladybug and Cat Noir are going to start dating eventually, and it's going to be so cute!" Rose told him. "Just imagine once, after a daring rescue, one sweet kiss leading to another, and then they'll take on the world together, and then they'll get married with bunch of superhero babies!"

"Uh, I think that depends on Ladybug," He replied, then unable to resist he added, "But yeah, I'd root for him."

"Really?" Marinette asked sounding surprised.

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know about marriage and children yet, but he does really care for her." Adrien told her.

"See? You're the minority here, Marinette." Alya snickered.

"Whatever." Marinette rolled her eyes, but he could tell it was good natured. "Anyway, shouldn't we be getting to class? Oh, Rose, want me to help you carry your things?"

When Rose nodded, Adrien leaned over to grab one of the small suitcases, and his hand brushed across Marinette's. They both drew back immediately, with twin courses of, "Sorry."

He reached again, taking Rose's larger bag, and letting Marinette take her smaller one, so that Rose was only left with her pink knapsack. He wanted to know more, he realized, as Alya lead them inside. Why didn't Marinette think Ladybug and Cat Noir would make a good couple?

Well, he had two weeks, and he knew that Marinette valued honesty, maybe he'd just ask her.


	3. Help in the Bakery

Marinette, with Tikki's help, had come up with a plan. She had been able to talk to Adrien when he'd come over to game with her for the tournament. She'd also been able to talk to him when her great uncle had been in town. Both of those times she had something more important to worry about than just her crush on Adrien, and so for the next two weeks she'd just have to find something to distract her from the fact that she and Adrien would be sleeping under the same roof. So far, the plan was going, well, nowhere. She'd been painfully aware of his presence beside her in class. Every time he looked toward her and smiled, she'd felt it. When he'd whispered questions to her about the class material she'd sworn she could feel his breath on her skin.

The worst one though, came because he'd stored his bag at his feet between them. When he'd moved to retrieve a text book, his hand had slid along the seat, no more than a few centimeters, but that was enough for his fingers to brush along her thigh. He'd apologized, of course, with that easy smile he always had, but Marinette knew her heartbeat had been permanently set to high after that.

No, this wasn't right. She needed to focus on something BESIDES her crush on him, not on it exclusively. In just a few minutes she'd be taking him home for lunch, and she'd need to be able to talk to him then. Right, so, maybe if she could make a plan, she was good at those the she-

The bell chimed releasing them from school for lunch.

"You live just across the street, right Marinette?" Adrien asked, already sliding from his seat.

"Yeah, do you want me to carry you? Carry your bags, I mean!" Marinette quickly corrected. "Help you carry your bags is what I mean…"

"No, I'm okay," He replied hesitantly. He probably thought she was a complete spaz. "I just need to get the one from my locker before we go."

"Oh, okay, so I'll just lead on then, okay?"

"Sure." He gestured toward the door.

There was a few minutes of awkward silence between them before he asked, "So why don't you like the idea of Ladybug and Cat Noir together?"

"Um, I guess it's because I- I think of them as being people first?" She stammered, falling back on an excuse that she'd heard applied to celebrities, "I mean, we don't know anything about them other than that they're superheroes. What if- what if Cat Noir is actually married with children already? Wouldn't that be awkward for his family? Hearing about how he belongs with someone else?"

"Or if Ladybug is dating a different guy?" Adrien asked quietly. "Someone she's trusted her secret with."

"Her secret?"

"Her secret identity."

"Oh no," Marinette protested, "She hasn't, I mean, I really doubt she'd do that, because it would put yo-em in danger, wouldn't it?"

He looked at her in surprise, "I- Huh, what is going on with Max, Alix, and Ivan?"

Marinette followed his gaze, and saw what he was asking. It did look like a fight was about to break out. She hurried into the locker room to head it off. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"Kim isn't going to be akumatized." Max fumed, ignoring her entirely.

"Look, no one is trying to say anything against him, Max." Alix explained.

"Not even me," Ivan confirmed.

"Both of you just said,"

"That, he's, you know, paired with Chloe." Juleka's mumbled, interrupting him.

"Chloe is not all bad," Adrien told them.

"Yeah. To you." Alix rolled her eyes, "We're just wondering what'll happen to the project when someone gets akumatized. Does it just end there and we all go home?"

"If someone gets a akumatized, we'll talk it over." Marinette jumped in. She took a deep breath, "Look, if anyone is worried about it, I'm happy to go with them to Ms. Bustier to discuss their fears, but I think she's right. I think this a good project for stepping out of our comfort zones. And if someone gets akumatized, I think that it will be a great opportunity to figure out why it happened, and what we can do to make it better next time."

"It also says a lot about who we are, and what we value." Adrien added, stepping up close behind her. He put one hand on her back, and gestured to their friends with the other. "Which is sorta what half of this project is about."

"Right." Marinette agreed, grateful for his support. "We're supposed to be learning about each other, but we're also supposed to be learning about ourselves, and what we take for granted, and that might even lead to less akuma attacks in the future."

The others traded glances before looking back to them and nodding. Alix turned and grinned at Max, "Well, get your helmet on Max. We've got to get going if we're not going to skip lunch. Later."

Max pulled a helmet out of his bag, and jammed it onto his head. He followed Alix out on a pair of skates she'd loaned him, albeit at much slower pace, which in turn caused her to do occasional loops waiting for him to catch up. Juleka smiled and, with a small wave, left as well, Ivan following behind her.

"That was really well done, Marinette." Adrien told her, pulling his suitcase from his locker. "You're really a great class rep."

"Thanks, but they're right, we better hurry if we want any lunch." She gestured to his bag, "Are you sure you don't want me to carry something? That duffle bag looks heavy."

"I'll be fine. I've been working out." He smiled.

Outside, Marinette noticed the bakery was swarmed with patrons for an uncommon lunch rush, and sprinted home forgetting completely about Adrien following behind her. Her mother was on the register, and her father was trying to excuse himself from behind the counter to check on whatever he had in his oven. Marinette darted behind the counter, dropping her backpack in a corner, and assured her father she could handle it.

The irritate man she had taken off her father's hands asked for nearly twenty croissants, telling her it was for an office affair that he had to hurry back to. She turned away to box them, and heard someone behind her say, "You said four cupcakes? Okay, just a moment, ma'am."

She felt a pressure on the small of her back, and a low voice whispered, "Marinette, is there something special I should put cupcakes in?"

She turned to Adrien a little surprised to find him there, and gestured "Um, over there, under the glass display."

"Thanks." He grinned. Then he pulled several flat boxes out from under shelves and started folding them in their proper shape.

Looking around, she saw his bags thrown into the same corner she'd left hers in, and felt a moment's gratitude at his kindness, that willingness to help that she'd first fallen in love with him over. Then she got back to work.

She packed up a small cake for someone, and the couple behind him wanted a baguette. She had to stand on her tip toes to reach the top shelf and tried to gently pull one of the baguettes loose from the pyramid, but the whole stack started to roll toward her. She had just enough time to squeak out a warning before an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her tight and Adrien, also on his toes, blocked off the incoming baguettes, losing only one to the floor.

Marinette used the roll in her hand to push the others back. They were in longer in their original neat stack, but at least they weren't going to fall. She turned to Adrien, still half in his arms and unable to contain her blush, "Thanks."

He nodded, a cheeky smile playing across his face, but said nothing. Several guests clapped at his display, and one even laughed when Adrien freed a baguette wrapper and handed it to the astonished Marinette before returning to his task.

Marinette stared after him, unable to think of anything but how amazing he was.

"If you don't mind, dear," called the one of the women.

Her partner swatted her arm playfully, "Give her a moment, that was quite a feat from her young man."

Marinette blushed harder and wrapped the baguette unable to speak to either of them as she handed over the requested bread. The man in line behind them grinned at her before requesting a baguette himself. He laughed at the look on Marinette's face before telling her that he actually only needed three croissants.

When the short rush was over, Marinette joined her parents by the register, and Sabine handed her two small pies, "You two better hurry and eat them, or you'll be late. Adrien you can leave whatever you don't need for class over there, and Tom and I will carry it upstairs later, okay?"

"Thank you, ma'am." Adrien accepted one of the pies from Marinette.

"You're welcome, son, and we're really grateful for the way you pitched in and helped us out like that." Tom told him, "Why don't you tell me what would you like for dinner, and I'll see if I can get started on it a little later."

"Uh, I'm not sure." Adrien looked over at Marinette, and she shrugged.

Tom smiled warmly at him, "Pick whatever you'd like, it'll be no trouble."

"How about one of the salmon and spinach pies? They were really good last time."

"You got it, and Marinette, I'll see about having your favorite desert."

"Thanks, dad." She hugged him tightly, and turned back to Adrien, blushing again, "Ready to head back to class?"

"I'm ready."

* * *

 **I'll try not to leave too many personal notes on my story, but I wanted to say thanks for all the early support on this piece.**  
 **I also wanted to make a small note, that I'm not the world's best editor and sometimes I find myself needing to fix things in something I've already posted.**  
 **If you notices any errors please feel free to point them out to me in a private message so I can get them fixed. Thanks all. -SG**


	4. Dinner with the Dupain-Chengs

Adrien examined the photos taped to the left side of the mirror in the bathroom. The top one was a close-up portrait of Marinette and Alya. The next one was of her with her parents and nona at her birthday party. There was one taken in her room of all the girls in class she was friends with, and last one in the column was the class photo of everyone presenting Juleka. Next to these, centered on their right side, was a photo strip from when Alya and Marinette had joined him and Nino at the movies.

That one was his favorite.

All four of them had crammed into the photo booth together, with Alya shoving him into Nino, and Marinette spilling across both of their laps, and the first picture showed just that. Nino catching Marinette, and Alya leaning into Adrien with an arm behind his head. That had been Nino's favorite of the three-paned strip at the time they'd taken it, but he might think differently now that he was with Alya. They had shuffled around at bit, and the next image was Marinette sitting astride Adrien, but hugging Alya close to kiss her cheek. Nino had been on Adrien's right, pressed against him, one arm around Marinette's waist pulling her back toward the two of them, and the other giving his best friend bunny ears. The last photo had the girls on the outside, leaning around the boys to make two heart shaped gestures with their hands over the boys' heads.

"It says a lot about what we value." He whispered to himself. This hadn't been what he'd meant when he'd said it, but the words still fit.

"You know, if you spend too much more time in here," Plagg whispered back, "They're going to think you've got a problem."

"Plagg, keep your voice down. I have no idea how thin these walls are." Adrien growled quietly.

"Okay, but after they all head to bed tonight, I expect to be rewarded with cheese."

"It's in my bag, just don't eat it all, because it's supposed to last you the week."

"Hmmm." The kwami eyed him suspiciously.

"There should be enough, but you're right." Adrien gestured inside his over shirt, "They're probably waiting on me. Hide so we can get out there."

He stepped out of the bathroom just as Ms. Cheng was about to knock. "Are you alright, Adrien?"

"Yes ma'am. Sorry I took so long."

"I wasn't worried about that, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Come sit down next to Marinette," Mr. Dupain instructed, "And we'll let Sabine start."

"I'm okay." He assured her, taking the seat he'd been directed to, "I just got distracted looking at the photos in there."

"Oh, those are Marinette's. We have a bathroom in our room downstairs, so this one is mostly just used by her, and any guests we have over."

"Speaking of guests," Tom passed Adrien the pie cutter, "Adrien, I'm sorry we don't have an extra room. I thought we'd put you in here on the couch, if that's alright. If that makes you uncomfortable, we might could bring down Marinette's lounge instead."

"I think he's a little too tall for that, Tom, but maybe we could get you an air mattress tomorrow. We could have it all set up by the time you two got home."

"Uh, the couch is fine," He answered quickly, raising his hands, "But thank you both very much."

"Have you two finished your homework?" Ms. Cheng asked, after they'd finished filling their plates.

"Not yet." Marinette told her, "We still have geography left."

"And do you expect that to take very long?"

"No ma'am, we've already looked it over. It's just some short answer questions about East Asia." Adrien supplied.

"Oh good," She smiled at them, "Then why don't we all have a movie night after you two are done, and we close the bakery for the night?"

"That sounds great!" Marinette glanced at him, "If that's alright with you, of course."

"I love it," And he did. Natalie might ask him questions about school while he ate dinner, but this felt more personal, and he'd only ever done a movie night at Nino's since his mom...

Well, since she was gone.

He took a deep breath and smiled up at his host family. "The geography really shouldn't take us that long."

"Are you okay?" Ms. Cheng asked. She reached across the table, and touched his hand. It was the same kind of gesture she'd made toward Marinette earlier. It was the kind of thing a loving mother did.

"Yeah, I'm fine." They were all looking at him.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Dupain asked, "The food's not still too hot? Did you burn your tongue?"

"Oh no, I just," He hesitated, "I don't get to do movie nights very often."

"We could do something different if you'd prefer." Marinette offered, touching his elbow. "We could play Mega Strike, I mean mom doesn't play that often, but,"

"I wouldn't mind, dear."

"We didn't mean to upset you." Mr. Dupain told him, "We don't always do things like this, but we thought it would be nice while you were here. We _are_ happy you're here, Adrien."

"Yeah- no, I um, I'm sorry." He smiled again, and regained his composure, the way his father had insisted he learn to do, "It's just really nice.'

"Okay." Ms. Cheng nodded, and squeezed his hand before letting him go.

Marinette let him go too. She looked at her parents, and he was grateful that she changed the subject completely, "Is it okay if we have Alya over tomorrow? Rose is shadowing her, so it will be both them really, but,"

"I don't mind as long as all four of you get your homework done before you start any kind of fashion show." Ms. Cheng replied, "Tom?"

"I'm fine with it. Do you want me to make you gir-kids some snacks?" Mr. Dupain winced in his direction, "Sorry Adrien."

"It's alright. What kind of fashion shows do you do?"

"I think we'd love that, thanks dad." Marinette told her father before turning to him, "I want to be a fashion designer when I get out of school, so sometimes, when my friends come over, I'll show them what I've been working on, and we'll get all dressed up."

"That sounds like fun." He agreed. It didn't really. He constantly modeled for his father, so it was hard to picture someone doing it for fun, but he was following Marinette this week. Besides, maybe this didn't have to be perfect and he'd definitely be with friends, so maybe that would make it fun.

The rest of dinner Marinette's family spent talking about their day. Ms. Cheng would ask questions, and Mr. Dupain would hypotheses on what he and Marinette told them. They also talked about the bakery and the funny things they had experienced that day.

When they finished dinner, he and Marinette cleared the table, while her parents went back downstairs to reopen the bakery. He smiled at her, "Is this the part where I ask if you'd rather wash or dry?"

She blushed, "Sure, I mean, if you want to, I,"

"Okay," He cut her off, and then grinned, unable to contain himself, "Would you rather wash or dry?"

She stared at him surprised, before laughing. Marinette ended up washing the dishes as it was never something he'd done before, but he'd dried them, and he helped put them away.

They were just setting up their homework when they heard the sirens in the distance. Marinette looked at him, then hurried to her computer. She found a news broadcast almost instantly, and pulled away from it in horror.

"Just received reports of a new akuma victim, Mother Midas, terrorizing Paris."


	5. Mother Midas

Adrien was the boy of Marinette's dreams, and she definitely, eventually, wanted to tell him the truth, but not here, and not now. He was looking at her, so full of sweet concern, and he inhaled, almost audibly, in worry.

She needed something. She needed something that would let her leave this room, let her go deal with Mother Midas. She rejected the bathroom. He would think something was wrong with her if she claimed to spend that much time in there. If she volunteered to go help her parents, as she'd once done to Alya, he'd follow her. Her eyes fell on his geography book sitting on her desk.

Hers was still in her bag.

"My book." Marinette whispered. She turned to Adrien in a picture of desperation that wasn't too far from the truth, "Adrien, I think I forgot my book at school!"

His eyes darted side to side in consideration and she was afraid for a moment that he wouldn't buy the excuse, but when he spoke it worse than disbelief or calling her callous for worrying about her textbook during an akuma attack. "I'll get it."

"Adrien, No!"

"I'll get it!" He was already in motion, side-stepping the beam in the middle of her room, and charging down the ladder. "Just stay here, and I'll be right back!"

"ADRIEN!" She reached for him, but he pulled the door closed. She lifted it to him jumping the last few steps of the ladder before he darted out the door.

"Tikki," She hissed, "He's gone! He's gone after my book in the middle of an akuma attack!"

"You don't have time to worry about that right now, Marinette. If you want to keep him safe, you need to transform into Ladybug. It's the best way for you to help him."

"Right." And if that right was a little less sure of herself than usual, it was only because of her worry for Adrien. "Tikki, Spots On!"

It was both the fasted and slowest transformation she'd had in a while. She was sure of it.

When she was through, she scaled her bed, and climbed out onto her balcony. She took a half step back, as she saw Adrien running into the school below. As soon as he was out of sight, she climbed onto the hand rail of her balcony, and jumped, swinging toward the Tuileries Garden, the last place Mother Midas had been seen.

She'd hardly gotten across the next roof, when there was a sound of metal whirling interchanged with soft, rapid footfalls behind her. She didn't acknowledge him until they'd reached the park, and he caught up to her while she was surveying the damage. Golden statues, trees, and cobblestones littered the area. "It looks like her powers might be the ability to turn things into gold."

"That makes sense with a name like Midas, but it doesn't really tell us much." Cat Noir replied. "I mean, is she more like Reflecta where it's a cosmetic change, or La Benfana and Glaciator where it goes through and through?"

"I think the latter. See how the statues are still wearing regular clothes for the most part?" Ladybug pointed to one of Mother Midas's victims, "I think maybe she can only change one thing at time, but she's also changed buildings, and trees, not just people."

Cat Noir nodded. "And the cobblestones? You think size doesn't matter?"

"Right." She agreed.

"LADYBUG! Ladybug down here!" Chloe stood in the gardens next to an upset, and frightened Kim.

Ladybug rolled her eyes, but felt her partner's hand on her shoulder, "It couldn't hurt to at least hear what she has to say."

Ladybug jumped without responding, but she swung to Chloe.

"Ladybug! It's my mom." Kim pleaded, before Chloe could say anything, "Please, you've got to help her!"

"Help her!?" Chloe shot him a look of disgust, "No! You have to save Adrien!"

"Adrien?" Ladybug echoed. But he had been with her, how could-

"Adrien Agreste! He's a boy at our school, and he is completely in love with me, and she couldn't-"

"What!?" Cat Noir interrupted.

While normally Ladybug would appreciate his incredulity on this subject, right now, Adrien might be in danger, "Cat Noir, please!"

"It's not true, Ladybug!" Kim insisted, "I mean, she is after Adrien, but it's because mom is really proud of the home she's made for our family, and Chloe kept insulting everything about it-"

"I was offering greatly needed suggestions!"

"And when she compared me to Adrien, that was the final strike. Mom was just so furious." He shook his head, "She walked away to calm down, but I guess she couldn't, because it wasn't even fifteen minutes later when she burst back in claiming to be 'Mother Midas'. She told Chloe that if she needed everything to be made out of gold so bad, and if she really wanted Adrien, mom would make sure it happened. Help her, Ladybug! Please!"

"We'll help her and Adrien both," Ladybug assured him.

"Does your mother know where to find him?" Cat Noir asked.

"How would she?" Chloe carped.

"Because you told her!" Kim shouted, "You said, 'He shouldn't have been paired with the baker girl.'! And, even if mom doesn't know Marinette by name, she knows of the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, and she knows their daughter is my class!"

"Did you see where she went?" Cat Noir demanded. "Do you think she's headed to the bakery now?"

"She'd have to be."

Ladybug felt a moment of sheer panic, but she bit it back as best as she could. It wouldn't help Adrien OR her parents right now, "We have to go."

"Wait, Ladybug!" Chloe called, "Her akuma! It's her belt!"

"How do you know?" She frustrated by the delay, but she'd made the mistake of ignoring Chloe before.

"It's eighteen carat gold!" Chloe told her, "Look around here, everything that she turns into gold is twenty-four carats, but the belt is only eighteen, so that has to be it!"

"Alright. Thank you, both of you. But now, you two should get out of here, and stay hidden." She saw Kim and Chloe trade mutinous looks, but she didn't have time for their defiance.

"Ready to go handle this golden situation, Mi'lady?" Cat Noir asked. She thought he sounded more tense than jovial, but that had to be just her projecting on to him. He had no reason to be any more worried than he usually was.

"I'm ready." They took the first few steps, and leapt together, keeping pace with one another, despite their differing methods of travel.

"So, the- the bakers, do you remember them from that time they sheltered Kim while we faced the shape-shifter?" Cat Noir asked. "I think that's where we're headed."

"I remember." She nodded. "We'll be there soon. Hopefully, everyone is still okay."

That hope turned to lead when she leapt from the last roof. There were golden cobblestones on the ground in front of the bakery. Despite her nerves, she paused, "Wait, Cat Noir, look at the road. The gold marks, they're too far apart from each other."

"I see it." He tried to dance from one set of the golden cobblestones to another. Even with a small leap at the end, he didn't mange it without his staff.

"I think she can fly, or at least float." She mused, then she looked at him, "Be careful."

He nodded, and slinked to the door, peering through the glass. With one hand on the handle, he looked at her, waiting. She hurried into position, and nodded. He pulled the door, and she entered.

"-rien, they aren't here." She heard her mother say.

"Yes, they're at the park!" Her father added unconvincingly.

"You'd tell me your daughter's location? Just like that?" Mother Midas was a slim, athletically looking woman. She was barefoot, dressed in a short golden toga, with a hooded mask and a wide belt. A laurel leaf circlet was jammed onto the hood to hold it in place. She leapt at Tom Dupain. "You're no real parent!"

"I don't think so," Ladybug cried, and whipped her yo- yo an arc, catching Mother Midas by the waist, and yanking her backward. Mother Midas hit the floor hard, but instead of getting up, she turned to look at Ladybug. She wrapped the fingers of her left hand around the yo-yo's string, and touched the yo-yo itself with her right hand.

Ladybug gasped and yanked, untangling Mother Midas, but it was too late for the yo-yo. The string had become gold thread, limiting her distance, and more than that, the whole yo-yo had become heavier. She wasn't sure how effective it would be for the rest of the combat.

Sabine pulled Tom toward the back door and they fled to their apartment.

"No need to fret, Hawkmoth," Mother Midas said, rising slowly. The display case she used to hoist herself to her feet began to turn. "You can wash the girl's Miraculous off in the Seine when I'm done with her."

Then she leapt at Ladybug, her levitation holding her aloft through her forward momentum. Ladybug let out a squeak before backflipping away. As soon as Ladybug was free of the door, Cat Noir slammed it closed. Ladybug watched Mother Midas crash into it, and noted how the conversion to gold started only where her skin touched it. She remembered the display case, how both pieces of glass had begun to turn, as did the metal holding them, but the spread had stopped at the case next to it.

"Cat Noir, don't let her touch you! It doesn't matter how many objects she's touching, it's about skin contact."

"Right." He replied, scuttling back away from the door.

Mother Midas grunted as she pushed it open, "You mangey, alley cat! I'll turn you into a statue only gaudy, cat-lovers will appreciate!"

"I don't know," He grinned, and sprinted toward her, aerialing over her attack at the last minute with his staff. "I always figured appreciation of me was universal."

Ladybug took the time Cat Noir provided to watch Mother Midas. She could glide, but it seemed to take effort. Everything her skin touched, regardless of how intentional the touch was, turned to gold. Her fingers breezed dangerously close to Cat Noir's face. "Mi'lady, if you're waiting for the golden opportunity-"

"You've already used that one, Kitty." But he was right, her observations provided no new insight. She threw her defunct yo-yo into the air. "Lucky Charm!"

"Some comedy gold is worth repeating." He called back. He landed on a street sign and eyed the long string of fairy lights she'd been given. "Planning on lighting up someone's world?"

She could twist them into large loops and drape them over a sign like the one Cat Noir sat on. If he then used cataclysm on the sign while running past it, the lights would drop onto Mother Midas, and form a cage as they turned into gold.

"No, but I thought I'd wrap things up. Keep her busy for me for just a little while longer!" She told him. He nodded and vaulted off of the sign. He swung his staff at Mother Midas, bringing it around her side while nimbly avoiding her arm. The blow all but glanced off her, but what focus he'd lost, he redrew.

Ladybug wound the lights as fast as she could, and perched them on the tip of the sign. "Now Cat Noir!"

She spun away from the signpost, and Cat Noir sprinted forward. He went from four legs to two just as he passed the sign, catching it with a twist of his wrist. "Cataclysm!"

The signpost dropped and Mother Midas reeled backward, barely dodging it. The coil of fairy lights landed on top of her, and fell around her in a mess of strings. She fought them, but that only caused the untouched sections to drop lower around her, binding her hips and legs. The gold wire was thin, and weak enough to have some flexibility, but there were too many loops for her to escape on her own.

"That's quite the gilded cage Mi'lady." Cat Noir said, walking back to her.

Ladybug rolled her eyes at him, but a small giggle escaped too. He grinned. She shook her head, and reached through the gold wire to Mother Midas's belt. Hooking her fingers through the slender buckle, she pulled, and the gold gave way, releasing the akuma. "No more evil doing for you little akuma."

"Time to De-evilise!" The catch was as easy as the ones that had come before it, and she waved to the small creature as it floated away. "Bye-bye little butterfly."

She turned and smiled at Cat Noir. He had carefully extracted Ms. Le Chien from the coiled wire. He handed it to her, and she tossed it skyward, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The wave spiraled outward, fixing the bakery door, and spinning out to the rest of Paris, before releasing Ms. Le Chien.

"Pound it!" She and Cat Noir offered each other the customary fist bump.

"Mom!" Kim and Chloe had followed them from the park.

Ms. Le Chien ran to her son, pulling him into her arms. "Are you two okay?"

Ladybug opted not to disturb their reunion. She waved good-bye only to her partner, who nodded in return. Sprinting around the far edge of the school, she found an open window on the second story. She yo-yoed to it and ducked behind a wall. "Tikki, spots off."

The kwami, without being asked, phased into Marinette's bag. Marinette smiled after her in gratitude, then headed out of the classroom. When she reached the top of the stairs, she saw Adrien coming out of the locker room. "Adrien!"

"Marinette? What are you doing here, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I felt really guilty about you coming after my book," She winced. At least that part hadn't been a lie, but, "So, I followed you."

"You followed me?" He repeated. He took a deep breath, "Were you here the whole time?"

"Yes." She trotted down the steps to him, and crossed her fingers behind her back. "But when I couldn't find you, I hid."

"Oh." He exhaled. Then he looked back at her, and falteringly added, "I'm sorry I couldn't find your book. I was hiding too."

"That's okay. I realized how silly that excu, I mean, how we both could have just used yours."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. I wish one of us would have thought of it earlier though, so you wouldn't have had to follow me out here." He rubbed the back of his neck, then dropped his arm and smiled at her, "Why don't we go get our homework done so we can have a movie night with your parents?"

She blushed, but managed a vigorous nod, "Let's."


	6. First Night in a New Place

**Quick note: This is one of the chapters that gives this story that "T" rating for its suggestive content. If you think this will bother you, skip the two paragraphs after the mention of the Miraculous protecting their identities. (It's nothing too graphic, but the implications are obvious.)**

 **Also, major thanks for all the support, I will try to tighten down the time between chapters.**

* * *

Adrien stretched to his length. The three windows around him poured light over the back of the couch and into his face. He raised one of his knees to give it some relief from the dip between the couch and Marinette's lounge.

He'd been too long for either separate one, and so he and Mr. Dupain had brought the lounge down to try them together. This had meant moving the entire living room around to accommodate the new piece of furniture. To accommodate him really, and Marinette and her family had done it laughingly.

Mr. Dupain had grabbed the tv, and Ms. Cheng put the vase that had been next to it on the table. Adrien and Marinette had moved the stand to the adjacent wall together. She'd giggled when he counted to three, but then lifted it at two and half.

The four of them had managed to turn the couch together, but only after a small fight with the throw pillows. Mr. Dupain had gone to toss one of the pillows, and had accidentally grazed his wife. She'd retaliated by calming walking over to him, and in a gesture Adrien almost missed, swept a pillow off the couch and into his arm. Mr. Dupain grabbed a second pillow, but Marinette had one first, and blocked him from hitting her mother with it. He whirled on Marinette, and she laughed, leaping up onto the couch to face off against him. Mr. Dupain pulled his strength in their fight, but Marinette was fast and relentless, and showed no mercy.

Adrien had all his attention focused on their battle, and didn't notice Ms. Cheng until she placed a careful hand on his shoulder. He turned to her, and saw she was looking at him almost sadly, "Adrien, I'm sorry."

His heart had plummeted.

Then he looked down and saw the pillow she offered with her right hand. When he gently took it from her, she swung the one she'd had hidden to the side of the couch at him. Ms. Cheng fought like her daughter, and Adrien, laughing now with the rest of them, spent most of his time blocking her attacks.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mr. Dupain finally throw down his pillow and scoop his daughter up in a tight hug. Marinette dropped her pillow and hugged him back. Ms. Cheng clobbered Adrien, not realizing how much her family had drawn his focus.

She immediately dropped her own pillow, and apologized, trying to look him over and make sure she hadn't actually hurt him. Adrien, still chuckling, had pulled her questing hands away from his face, and hugged her. He still wasn't sure what sure what had made him do it, but she hadn't objected. In fact, she'd hugged him back.

They'd separated, and Adrien helped Marinette gather up the seven or so pillows, and put them on the table next to the vase, while Ms. Cheng moved the floor lamp. When Marinette had placed the last pillow on the stack, she had turned and nearly bumped into him. He'd caught her easily, and caught himself starring down at her. For a moment, he'd been enraptured by her face, her bluebell eyes still dancing with amusement, and her cheeks rosy from the exhilaration. Then Mr. Dupain had clapped his hands, and asked if they were ready, and the moment, such as it had been, passed.

When they'd finished getting the couch and lounge in place, they'd all realized that the lounge was almost two inches lower than the couch. Adrien had tried to say it would be fine, but they'd rallied around him once again, trading out throw pillows until they'd found one that mostly fit. The rest of the pillows had been unceremoniously dumped on the side of the couch he wouldn't be sleeping on, and the vase had been tucked into the corner between the couch and the tv stand alongside of the floor lamp.

He was grateful now that they'd gone to the effort. He wondered absently if he'd be able to get some sleep, if he tried scrunching down again, so that he knees where at the actual dip, and if he threw a pillow over his face to deal with the onslaught of light.

"What's ah-matter?" A voice in his ear taunted. "Thinking about Ladybug?"

"I am now." He answered honestly. He turned to face his kwami. Plagg was floating not too far from his face, and thankfully, not carrying a piece of Camembert. Although, Adrien had long ago quit resenting the need to carry the cheese with him, he wouldn't have much cared for having his sinuses cleaned out by its smell at this hour of the night.

"She was amazing today, wasn't she?"

"I don't know." Plagg shrugged. "It seemed to be a pretty average day to me."

"Average with her _is_ amazing." Adrien rolled back over onto his back, and closed his eyes.

He could see her in his mind's eye clearly. After all, he'd studied her whenever he'd been given the chance, memorizing the shape of her face and the curve of her smile, the way she moved. He'd memorized her. It was only when he tried to remove the mask or compare her to someone else that the images became hazy, as if the magic of the Miraculous protected their identities as much as it protected them.

Late at night, in times like now when he couldn't sleep, he'd still dream about her. Sometimes it was just to profess his love for her, for who he knew her as, that brave, determined soul. And other times, well, other times, her costume was somewhat less opaque, and her expression one of more appreciative surprise, than amusement or determination. On those nights, his hand would drift a little lower, and he'd fall asleep much faster.

His subconscious provided him with such an image. He shook it off, and placed his hands firmly behind his head. Not with Plagg in here and awake. Not with Marinette's parents on the floor below him, and Marinette herself above him.

His tired brain latched onto the concept of Marinette being above him and for a moment, just a moment, he saw her in place of his Ladybug. Her eyes were dancing again, that pretty blush to her cheeks, and she smiled only for him. He sat up sharply. "Marinette is just my friend."

"Oh yeah?" Plagg eyed him with interest.

"Yeah. Sorry Plagg, I just,"

"Just replaced Ladybug with her in your dreams? Huh, I wonder what that means."

"It doesn't mean anything." Adrien told him unappreciatively. "It just happens sometimes when I'm tired, and my mind wanders. I'm still very much in love with Ladybug."

"But when your mind wanders it goes to Marinette?" Plagg teased.

"I don't know why I try with you." Adrien shook his head.

Plagg shrugged, but his grin didn't dampen. "Well, if you've got your mind back, _I_ have been dreaming of some camembert."

Adrien got to his feet and went to his bag. He opened the pocket he'd filled with cheese and gave a piece to Plagg. Then he removed several of the boxes and put them in the fridge for later in the week, leaving the rest in his suit case. "I brought you two containers per a day, so let's hope we don't need more than that."

"If we _need_ that much we're working way too much." Plagg replied.

Adrien grinned, "Should I cut back on your cheese then?"

"Not unless you want me breaking into the kitchen at night without you."

Adrien shook his head, but he was still smiling. He laid back down, shifting into a comfortable position before he reached over for one of the fluffier throw pillows. He balanced it on the corner of the couch, creating a small overhang of shadow.

He sighed in relief, the exhaustion finally overtaking him. He faded in and out of conscious, ignoring Plagg's whispers. He saw the kwami, at one point, near the top of the ladder, looking for all the world like he might be having conversation with some invisible being, or maybe something small enough to hide behind the stair rail. He thought about trying to sit up, but he didn't. Instead he made a mental note to ask the kwami about it the next day. A mental note that he promptly forgot.


	7. Pride & Prejudice

Marinette was getting better. There was that moment when she'd first come downstairs for breakfast, but it had only been a small misstep.

Adrien had been sitting at the table, eating buttered toast and drinking hot cocoa while listening to her mother. He had looked up when she'd moved and, seeing her, smiled with what looked like genuine pleasure.

A small misstep indeed. She'd been so distracted by that expression that the next step had managed to drop almost three feet without her notice. She'd caught herself before she'd rolled head first down the rest of the stairs, but when she looked back up, Adrien's beautiful smile had been replaced with an expression of concern. He was already pushing his chair back when she'd waved him off.

"Not quite awake yet." She confessed, managing a shrug that offset her heated cheeks.

"If it helps," He pulled out the chair next to him, "I was barely human when your dad first got in, but we've been up for a little over an hour now."

"We probably should have gotten you up too, Marinette." Her mother told her, handing her a bowl. "If you're late at all this week, you'll have Adrien late too."

Both she and Adrien had assured her mother they would be fine, and, true to those assurances, they had gotten to school before the start of class. With only Literature left before lunch, she had trouble looking at him without smiling, but she could now mostly do it without blushing. It felt like they were co-conspirators in something wonderful and exciting, and it had only been one day. She wondered how it would at the end of two-

"Class," Ms. Bustier sighed. "Please pull out your reading books. We need to discuss Elizabeth's visit to Hunsford."

Marinette never heard her teacher sound so defeated. She looked Adrien who shrugged very lightly, but at least he'd heard it too.

"Ms. Bustier," Alya called, "Before we do this, can we talk as a class?"

"No, Alya. Not today."

"But Ms. Bustier, we really think this is important." Rose protested, and Marinette could see Alya nodding.

"Please," Ms. Bustier implored, "Please, class, we can we just do the lesson? Open Pride & Prejudice. Turn to chapter twenty-seven."

Adrien raised his hand. Ms. Bustier eyed him suspiciously, but gave in. She gestured to him. "I think Elizabeth was right to turn down Mr. Collins, and our class project plays directly into that.

"Mr. Collins came, claiming he wanted to spend time with the Bennets and heal the bond that had broken within their family, but he never followed through. He said he wanted to find a suitable wife, but he never got to know any the girls. If he had, he'd have pursued Mary instead of Lizzy.

"Now, we're reading about Elizabeth's visit with him and Charlotte, and he's even less considerate of her. He still has little to no idea about who she is, and I'm happy to see that she's still satisfied in her rejection of him."

"That's the opposite of Mr. Darcy," Alya interjected, "Sorry Adrien, but I totally agree with you.

"Rose and I read a little ahead, and got to Lizzy and the Gardiners at Pemberley, and Lizzy gets to know him better there. The letter maybe started it, but she doesn't really get the final piece of who he is until that visit. Then she starts trying to give her aunt and uncle a better opinion of him because she doesn't want them to think ill of him."

"But it wasn't a case of just getting to know him, that's not who he was all along." Nathaniel responded. He blushed when everyone looked at him, but pressed on, "I mean, she made that final piece. Think about when he proposes, he's proud. He knows he's of higher social standing, and he's really obnoxious about it.

"If she had just accepted him then, she would have still gotten to know him, but it would have been a different him, a more self-assured and arrogant him. And do you really think she would have been happy, _or_ would he have spent the rest of their lives reminding her of what he could have been if not for his feelings for her, making her life just as intolerable as Charlotte's?"

"I didn't get the impression that Charlotte found her life intolerable." Mylene carefully countered. "I don't think she really loves her husband, but she said that love was never really that important to her."

"My point remains," On the surface, Nathaniel could have easily been mistaken for petulant, but Marinette was sure she heard the undertones of anxiety. "Darcy and Elizabeth can't get together until he realizes that not everyone is going to think he's perfect without reason. Not everyone is going to bow, and scrape and simper, or understand his side of things without explanation, least of all Lizzy. Part of his attraction to her is that she is so capable of being herself, even around him, but he still holds up the masquerade. I think without her aggressive rejection of him, he'd have gone on trying to do just that, and wouldn't have valued her opinions nearly as much."

"That's true, and this section, with Darcy's letter, also changes Lizzy. She has started to realize that you can't just condemn a person without hearing their side of things." Marinette agreed. She saw Nathaniel relax a little.

Adrien nodded, but his expression was thoughtful, "From what we've seen so far, they do change some. They both learn to listen and share more, but I still think most of what they need is time spent together. They need a chance to get to know the real person, not just the face that everyone sees."

"Adrien, you sound like you have a special perspecti-" Ms. Bustier started, but Nathaniel cut her off.

"Following a girl around for a week doesn't make her love you! Look at Mr. Collins. He spent time with Lizzy. He singled her out to spend time with her, and she was disgusted by him and his selfish attitude. It takes more than just good looks, or money to make someone love you! You need to be open to change, to being confident," Nathaniel took in a deep breath and, with cheeks as red as his hair, turned back to his desk, mumbling, "Sorry, it's just, Mr. Darcy starts off as shy. They don't call it that in the book, but that's why Lizzy hates him; he's shy, and he handles his shyness with arrogance. I mean, his whole character arc is figuring out how to talk to new people on a personal level, and how to be kind instead condescending when he's nervous."

Adrien tilted his head, studying Nathaniel's hunched shoulders, and red ears, "And he's a great example for those who don't have the talent of conversing easily with others?"

Nathaniel nodded.

Ms. Bustier clapped her hands together, cheerful once more, "Class this has been wonderful, and I think we've hit a lot of good points that I would like to go further into like, uh, cultural shifts, like how we would use shy to describe someone like Mr. Darcy today. I think we should discuss Lizzy judgments, Adrien says she was on point with Mr. Collins, but Alya has said that she was wrong about Mr. Darcy, so at what point can we really consider ourselves to know someone? And I'd even like to cover what Mylene said, about how Charlotte seems happy with her choices, as love isn't very important to her. Is that just her practicality or do we think there is something else going on with her character?"

"Can we talk about Nathaniel's other point too?" Alya asked, "How exposure to someone can change you?"

"And how one act, large or small, can entirely change the way you see someone?" Marinette added, looking at Adrien.

Max chimed in, "Ms. Bustier, I think, in the spirit of class project and getting a better perspective of each other, we should also discuss why we each got what we did from the narrative."

The discussion went on from there. When the class broke from lunch, Ms. Bustier gave them no new chapters, instead promising them that they could resume their discussions the next day.

Alya hadn't gotten a chance to revisit her initial thought, so she caught up with Marinette and Adrien in route to the lockers, and got several other students to gather around as well. "I'm worried about the project. I wanted to tell Ms. Bustier today that I still support it, so do my parents, but I'm worried that with an akuma attack on the very first night, the school will shut it down and send us home."

"But it's just Chole," Alix pointed out. "When does she not cause an akuma attack? Seriously, Hawk Moth should be sending her personalized thank-you cards."

"I can't see that mattering very much when her father is the mayor." Alya replied.

"Yeah, he could shut us down, and it'd be a shame, 'cause I'm just starting to get to know my boy here." Nino put an arm around Nathaniel's shoulders.

Nathaniel nodded solemnly, "And if Chloe insists that it isn't her fault, which she will, then he'll do it just to make sure his little brat isn't singled out."

"I think we should all talk to our parents. See if we can get them to contact the school and let Mr. Damocles know they still support the project." Alya finished.

The others in the small circle nodded in agreement except for Sabrina, who frowned at a spot on the floor, biting her lip, and Adrien, who shook his head. "Not everyone's parents will support this, Alya. My dad is more likely to pull me from the project if he catches wind of yesterday, but I could talk to Chloe. I know she can be mean from time to, well, a lot of time, but she's not all bad. Really. Maybe I can get her to still support the project."

Sabrina smiled gratefully at him, tears unshed in her eyes, "Please? She'll listen to you, Adrien. I just know Chloe's going to listen, and then everything will be okay. You will all see."

Mylene touched Sabrina's arm gently and nodded to Adrien, "Please talk to her. In the meantime, we can talk to our parents."

Alya grinned at Marinette, "Speaking of, did you talk to your parents? Are we still on for tonight?"

"Oh, are you two, uh four, hanging out tonight?" Mylene asked.

"Yeah, I can ask my parents if you can come too, if you want. We could do a girl's night." Marinette told her. She noticed the look of sympathy Nino shot Adrien as he and Nathaniel moved on, but Adrien shrugged lightly in response to his friend's unspoken condolences.

"I'd love that." Mylene replied.

"Juleka, Alix? How about you? It wouldn't be a sleepover, but," Marinette started.

Alix interrupted her with a look of disdain, "Is this gonna become a dress up party, or another secret mission?"

Marinette blushed, "Dress up party, probably."

"Pass."

"Juleka?"

"We'll ask." Juleka mumbled, waving a hand back and forth between her and Ivan.

"Okay then, I'll definitely check with my parents," Marinette smiled at each of them, "And I'll let you all know what they say when we get back, alright?"

The girls all grinned, save Sabrina, who's smile was more hopeful and concerned. Ivan looked uncertain, and maybe displeased, but Adrien seemed indulgent, and shrugged again, good naturedly. "When we get back then."

* * *

 **In case you were wondering, I'm really considering the characters in a Pride and Prejudice play after this piece.  
** **It won't be as long, probably only a couple of chapters, but I'm considering it.**


	8. Playful Fashion Photoshoot

"Rose! Hold still!" Alya laughed. Rose giggled, and spun back toward Alya, giving her a peace sign. Alya snapped another picture with her cellphone. "Miss Fashion Designer?"

"In a minute, I'm helping Mylene." Marinette told her, and she was. She had taken off Mylene's bandana and was pinning her locks back with two, large, gold painted barrettes. Without comment, Juleka went to Rose, and slid a wide pink headband into her hair. Marinette eyed the giggling model. "I have something I want you to try on with that after this, Rose."

Adrien watched the scene with amusement. Sitting out of the way with Ivan, he'd been enjoying the frivolity of the girls and the cookies Mr. Dupain had sent up. He didn't feel ignored, but nor had anyone primped, primed, or photographed him.

He was happy to see that the same could not be said for Sabrina. When Mylene had first arrived with her, there had been some tension, but Mylene had worked hard to make it easy for everyone. Sabrina had since been covered in flattering make-up by Juleka, been dressed and arranged by Marinette, and been posed and photographed by Alya. She'd been offered milk and cookies, and had been given access to the same trinkets and accessories the other girls had. In short order, everyone seemed to have forgiven her for any past grievances and accepted her as one of their own. It gave him hope for Chloe, that one day, when she got her act together and tried to get along with everyone, she would be so easily welcomed.

This led him to thoughts of the other women in his life. He wondered vaguely if Kagami enjoyed such activities or, if like Alix, she'd give it a fast pass. He also wondered about Ladybug. His beloved partner didn't seem to mind being photographed or interviewed, maybe she spent time just like this with her friends too.

Marinette turned and smiled at him. She presented Mylene with a sweep of her hand. "Well?"

Mylene did a small twirl, flaring out the skirt of her sky blue sundress.

"Very different," He acknowledged. "But still very pretty."

Ivan said nothing, but he returned Mylene's cheerful smile with a shy one of his own.

"Oh wait, Mylene! Try this on with that. It'll look great!" Sabrina eagerly tried to hand over her own white jacket, but being in her size, it didn't fit Mylene. Sabrina shot her new friend an apologetic, fearful look, "Sorry. I wasn't trying to-"

Mylene was already waving it off with a small smile.

"I think she's got the right idea though, Mylene." Marinette cut in. "White would offset the blue and bring out the shine of the barrettes. Sabrina, there's a crocheted afghan in my chest over there. Why don't you get it? With some ribbon and a couple of coat hangers, we can make it look like wings."

He barely acknowledged it, but that's what made Adrien get to his feet, Marinette's kindness and her determination to have them all feel supported. When she and Sabrina had almost finished the wings, Adrien put a hand on Alya's arm. "Hold on a minute, will you Alya?"

"Sure." She stepped out of his path.

"Ivan, will you open the windows for me? Marinette, is that okay?" When they nodded, he preceded to Mylene. "Do you mind if I touch you, Mylene?"

"Uh, sure."

He put one hand on her shoulder, and the other on her lower back, pressing very gently to straighten her posture. He tilted her chin up, and pointed at spot on the floor. "Ivan will you go over there for me? Mylene, I want you to look up at him, okay?"

Marinette smiled, finished the last touches on Mylene, and then allowed Adrien to draw her away. Alya snapped a few pictures, before moving to catch the light. "Oh these look amazing. You're gonna love 'em, Mylene."

"I want to see!" Rose peeked over Alya's shoulder, then squeaked excitedly, "Ooh Adrien! Me next! Do me next."

"Before he does, why don't you come here." Marinette pulled some dark pink gauze out of a drawer. "Ayla and I were going to give this to you for your birthday, but here, a month early wouldn't hurt. Besides, I think we'd like to get a picture of you in it."

Rose hurried over, and accepted the gift, shaking it out. She squealed in delight, but Adrien didn't realize what she had until she got it on. It was a magenta, gossamer smock with lace edging. It went directly over her head, and had three strand ties on both sides to cinch it in. Marinette started to braid a small lock of Rose's bangs behind the headband. "It has a large pocket for a glue bottle on the right side, and several smaller pockets for vials of glitter on the left, and finally, sort of in the center there, you'll find a loop for your scissors. If you accidently cut through the loop, I can always fix it for you, okay?"

When Marinette finished, Rose resembled a young indie painter. "There."

"Let me get some pictures of Ivan and Mylene together," Alya said, smiling over her shoulder, "And then I'll do you again, okay Rose? Happy Early Birthday."

"Thank you! Thank you both!" Rose turned to Adrien with shinning eyes, "Will you help me too?"

"Of course."

"Adrien, do you want to help position Ivan really quick?" Alya asked. "He looks good, but what you did earlier was magic."

"Just model experience." But he did step over, and with permission, straightened Ivan.

Juleka was after Rose, and Marinette stayed true to her style, picking out a dark ruffled dress from the ones she'd brought. She'd then twisted back and pinned Juleka's hair with a silver and ruby rhinestone barrette. Juleka touched up her own make up, but Marinette insisted she add some shimmering red lip gloss.

A scream tore through the air from outside.

Adrien was the first to the window, giving the sudden interruption his full focus. He heard the chimes of laughter, and followed them down to the two lovers playing together in front of the school. He turned back to see everyone had paused, looking at him. "It's nothing, just a couple playing 'don't catch me' outside."

"Oh. Good." Alya exhaled. Everyone relaxed, and she continued jovially, "Cause if Hawkmoth stops me from getting photos of our girl here, I will, no joke, get akumatized, just to find him and make his life miserable."

Ivan snorted, Mylene and Rose giggled, and Marinette grinned, "Ladybug would let you too."

Juleka was staring at her toes. Her hands were clasped tightly together, and her small smile was dwarfed by a hard blush. Adrien set out a chair and lightly tugged her to it. He tilted her chin up, both for her pictures, and so he could look in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

She shrugged softly and mumbled something, but he was pretty sure he heard the words, thanks, nice, and Alya.

"Adrien?" Marinette called, but she was looking at Juleka too. "There's some fake, long-stemmed lilies on the desk. Do you think she should hold them?"

When he nodded, Mylene brought over the flowers, and he showed Juleka how he wanted her to cradle them.

"So, Mylene is reminiscent of a summer fairy," Adrien noted, moving to Alya's side, "Rose is an indie artist, Juleka looks like a gothic Victorian heroine, and Marinette seems to be turning Sabrina into a modern princess. What will you be?"

"A Badass Warrior Queen." She replied without looking up.

"Do you," His mind swirled with the possible designs Marinette could've come up with, "Do you have a costume for that here?"

"Nope. It's not a costume." She winked at him before taking another shot of Juleka. "If I wanted a picture of all of them together after we do Sabrina, do you think you could pose all four so they'd fit in one setting?"

"Uh, sure." He watched her work for a moment more before he shook his head, "You know, for a minute, I was honestly trying to figure out how to get pictures of you on your turn 'cause Nino would have killed me if I left here without them."

"Don't worry. He has the mental ones." She offered him an impish smile before jerked her head back toward Marinette. "I'll be done here soon. Why don't you see if she needs any more help?"

Marinette was already shaking her head frantically, her mouth full of hair pins, so Adrien returned to the desk where they'd left the plate of cookies. He selected one. Ivan approached him quietly, taking a cookie as well. "Thanks."

When Adrien gave him a curious look, Ivan continued, "For helping earlier. It was kind of you."

"It's no problem."

"I mean it." Ivan insisted. Then he frowned, "Your eyes are green."

"Uh, yeah?" Adrien asked, resisting the urge to rub the back of his neck with his free hand.

"That makes sense." Ivan treated Adrien to a rare smile before he returned to Mylene. He whispered something to her. She looked up and smiled awkwardly, nodding. Feeling confused, Adrien took another bite of his cookie.

"Alright. Marinette?" Alya called, "Are you finished with Sabrina?"

"I am. Uh, Adrien?" She turned to him, nervous in her gestures, "Do you mind if I help? Her hair isn't really long enough for the knot I put it in."

"It's so pretty though." Sabrina said, admiring herself. Her voice broke a little, and her expression, when she looked at him, was full of the kind of apprehension you only feel when you truly desire something and are very afraid of being denied it.

"It is very pretty." He reassured her, "So Marinette and I will be careful, right Marinette?"

"Right." She agreed, but it didn't seem to quell her nerves.

Adrien pointed to where he wanted Sabrina to stand. He had her lean back slightly, and raise her right arm so that she had one gloved hand regally extended. He told Marinette where he wanted her to look, so she could help Sabrina move her head without shaking loose her hair. Finally, he pulled Marinette away from her.

"Thank you for all your help today." Marinette said quietly, not looking at him. "It's not usually this professional. In fact, I usually just have them try on things and Alya takes pictures, but you helped make everyone feel really pretty."

"Hey," Adrien captured her hand, his first two fingers wrapping around her wrist. When she looked up at him startled, he grinned and twisted his grip so he could hold her hand at chest level, their fingers linked, "We're partners, remember? We're in this together."

She smiled back at him, blushing, and squeezed his hand. He was suddenly reminded of the image he'd had of her the night before, poised above him. He didn't let her go. That was his first instinct. But, he didn't draw her close. That was his second. He just looked at her, and blamed the model in him for wanting to reach up and brush that little bit of hair out of her face.

"Perfect." Alya commented. She stood up, and faced Sabrina again. "Sorry, but I wanted to get the two of them before the night was over. Let's try you from a different angle, okay?"

The moment well past, he released Marinette's hand and she drew away from him like he'd shocked her. For the rest of the evening, he avoided touching her, and told himself it was just a side effect of the project. He was just getting to know her better, getting closer to her, that was all. He still loved his Ladybug, and Marinette was still just a friend. A good friend, but a friend. His heart was loyal.

After Alya had finished her pictures, they'd all headed down stairs and were greeted by Marinette's parents and delicious, homemade pizza. When dinner was done, Alya promised everyone copies of the pictures she'd made, and Ivan and the girls left.

Watching their friends spilt off into the dark streets of Paris, Adrien, almost to himself, admitted, "That was a lot of fun."

Marinette nodded, looking up at him. "What now?"

"More Pride and Prejudice?"

"Sure. It'll be good to be prepared for tomorrow."

"Right." He smiled, "Let's be prepared for tomorrow."

* * *

 **I really apologize for any errors in here. I have been over this chapter so many times, rewording, adding and deleting to include everything I knew I wanted, and for the sake of cohesion, that I'm half blind to some of it as my brain recites what it's already seen fifty times.  
Please, feel free to PM me any mistakes.**


	9. Something Wrong at School

Ever since the picture yesterday, it felt like something had changed between her and Adrien. When they'd read together last night, he'd maintained a careful distance. When they'd discussed their arguments, he had trouble meeting her eyes. This morning, he'd careful pulled her chair out for her, but gone was that personal smile, just as was the ease and comradery of yesterday.

Her eagle-eyed mother noticed the difference, but to Marinette's gratitude, she said nothing. Instead, she calmly talked to them, asking about what they'd read the night before, and how they thought the photo shoot went, mentioning Alya's enthusiasm. Adrien answered her politely, until her mom asked what photos were taken of him. His eyes had flashed to Marinette and he told her mother there'd only been one to his knowledge.

Marinette hadn't liked that look. She hadn't liked his whole demeanor, actually. It was too close to fear. Maybe he'd finally figured out her massive crush on him. Maybe he was wishing he wasn't locked in his stalker's home. Maybe he was just looking for a way to escape her. That had to be it. He'd finally decided she was way too creepy to even be friends with.

All his broadcasted unease was making her anxious. She needed to ignore it. She needed to ignore the whole conversation, and as much as she was capable, the boy next to her. She pulled at the peel of her orange, focusing solely on her strength so she wouldn't be tempted to look at him again. The peel gave suddenly, and her elbow slammed into the side of his yogurt bowl, tipping it over by accident. Its contents slopped almost exclusively into his lap. Marinette lurched to her feet, looking for a towel, but she had misjudged the distance between his chocolate and her wrist, and knocked into that too.

Adrien, perhaps sensing the impending danger, had immediately tried to catch the mug before it spilled, but he was only half successful. The chocolate sloshed onto his hands and splashed up his arm. The still hot liquid made him wince.

Marinette gasped, frozen from embarrassment and guilt, but her mother had no such issues. She grabbed Adrien's hands quickly with a towel and rubbed them vigorously.

"Marinette, cold water." She'd ordered.

After he'd rinsed off, Adrien assured her mother that he wasn't badly burned, stating that it'd been no worse than a few seconds under a too hot shower. Then he looked at Marinette for what felt like the first time since the photo and smiled. He even laughed a little at her obvious concern, making her smile in return.

He excused for a few minutes to change out of his soiled clothes, while Marinette and her mother cleaned up the rest of the mess. When he returned to a still worried Marrinette, he'd briefly touched her arm and told her again that he was fine. As she'd relaxed, he'd studied her, his expression returning to one of unease before he pulled away again.

On the crosswalk between the bakery and their school, he'd placed a gentle hand at her back, not quite touching her as he guided her protectively to the other side. It was only gesture of chivalry, she discovered, as once they were out of the street he withdrew again.

He spotted Chloe talking to Sabrina and Mylene in the school yard and excused himself. The blonde girl shrieked at his approach and ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. Marinette tried hard not be jealous.

"Girl, if you get anymore green, we'll have to plant you in dirt and see what kind flowers you'll sprout. Did you forget we need him to talk to her?" Alya whispered in her ear.

"No!" Marinette turned sharply to her friend, finally broken from her concerned reverie. She sighed, "Yes. It's just, since last night, he's been different. I think I must have upset him."

"I didn't notice anything." Alya replied. She gave Adrien a curious look.

"I think it didn't start until after you took his picture."

"Hmm." Alya's face contorted into pure mischief, "Well, there's always that belief that pictures can steal a man's soul."

"Alya. He's a model."

"Then maybe it's not about what I stole, but what you did."

"I didn't steal anything!" Marinette had trouble keeping her voice low, "Well, maybe his phone that one time, but it was only once, and there was the voicemail-"

"What voicemail?" Rose asked.

Alya laughed at the effect Rose's innocent question had on Marinette. Then she turned, and wordlessly passed Marinette her phone. She had brought up the picture in question.

Looking at it, Marinette had trouble breathing.

If the picture had featured any other two people in the world, Marinette could not have been convinced that they weren't in love. Adrien held her hand and watched her intently with a furrowed brow. She had been caught mid breath, with her lips slightly parted in a smile. All her focus was on him. That moment hadn't ended in a kiss, but if it had been any other two people, she would never believe it hadn't.

As it stood, "So he did totally realize I have a crush him! Alya, what am I going to do!? He probably hates me now. He probably thinks I'm a complete creep and a nutso, and even now is trying to figure out how to get a restraining order issued!"

"Seriously Marinette?" Alya's flat tone fell on deaf ears.

Shouts echoed around in the school capturing their attention. Ivan sprinted out practically carrying Juleka whom, with one arm, he'd pinned to his side. At the steps her feet found purchase, and he released her. He went to Mylene, grabbing her wrist and tugging her behind him. When Sabrina grabbed onto Mylene, he dragged them both.

"Grab Rose, and Marinette and Alya, and let's go!" He demanded.

Juleka hurried to them with anxious butterfly footsteps, "Max did something to Kim."

"Oh no, Juleka. You shouldn't worry them." Nino followed after her at slower pace, trotting down the school steps, "There was nothing abnormal about what happened with Kim. Adrien was wrong to shout out like he did, and start a panic. It was just two friends coming together for a greater understanding of each other."

Juleka, too shy for comment, turned to him and took two of her long strides to reach him. It was clear she was giving Nino a chance to explain. He smiled, meeting her eyes.

Something about his expression, the way he'd spoken in that clipped, precise tone felt wrong to Marinette. Alya was also frowning.

"Juleka! No!" Ivan released Mylene, reaching fruitlessly toward his partner "It's Max!"

A flash of light blinded them all.

"I understand." Marinette heard Juleka murmur, "I'm so glad I understand."

"Ms. Bourgeois, Mr. Agreste," Nino and Juleka barked together, "I demand you come out at once. I just want to speak to you. Let you understand our position."

"Juleka?" Rose whimpered.

"Who's voice is that?" Alya asked, "That isn't Max anymore."

"It sounds like Mr. Damocles." Marinette replied.

"It's not," Juleka looked at Rose, "It's me, Rose, and I'm sorry for worrying you."

Rose took a cautious step toward Juleka. Alya yanked her back, "Prove it."

Marinette watched as Juleka's demeanor changed. Her shoulders slumped, a friendly, easy smile crossed her face. Nino stepped forward, and sounding much more like himself, "C'mon babe, it's really us. That was just a little joke, right Juleka?"

They nodded in tandem, and Nino took another step toward Alya, "Sorry, we didn't mean to worry you, but at least we, I, know how to make it up to you."

"Rose." Alya had a knuckle white grip on the smaller girl's shoulders. She leaned down and whispered into her ear. Rose, in tears, nodded. Then Alya pushed her away, toward Ivan, and turned to run in the opposite direction. Juleka and Nino split off to pursue their quarries. Ivan had already turned Mylene and Sabrina to run, and now as Rose came to him he grabbed her hand and slung his backpack at Juleka's feet.

"Get somewhere and hide!" Marinette cried after them, but she sprinted to the school, looking for a place to hide herself so she could transform. She only prayed she had enough time to save Adrien and Chloe from Mr. Damocles.


	10. The Liaison

Crouching behind a half wall in a school full of potential hostiles, Cat Noir waited for Mr. Haprèle to pace back away from the broom closet he'd seen Marinette sneak into. He knew she would be a dangerous one to try to save. He knew he stood a much better chance of just rescuing Chloe, whom he'd shoved into a locker. He knew it, but justified it to himself again anyway.

Chloe would be okay as along as she could stay quiet. Sitting here, trying to figure out how to rescue Marinette, gave him a chance to count hostiles by making notes on the way certain people ignored each other. Mr. Haprèle, for instance, had walked past Mr. Damocles and Kim with no trouble. The same could not be said for Ms. Mendeleiev who'd escaped out a side door with Max in pursuit, or Nathaniel and Master D'Argencourt who'd run to the library together.

He'd thought D'Argencourt had been chasing Nathaniel, but before he could do anything about it, he'd had to duck into an empty classroom to transform. Then Kim had come around a corner and forced him to hide. In all that time, neither Nath, nor Master D'Argencourt had reemerged from the library. Now he figured they were hiding up there together.

That he was blocking at least one of the paths to them was another good excuse not to move.

"Cat Noir." No one spoke particularly loudly, but having his name said by multiple voices simultaneously gave it an echo effect. Mr. Haprèle turned to look directly at his hiding spot, and he heard footsteps accompany the voice behind him.

He jerked away from the half wall, turning so he could see both Mr. Haprèle and the new speaker. It was Alix. She stood above him near the library doors. From his new position, he could see that even Mr. Damocles, whom he'd left patrolling the opposite catwalk for 'Adrien', had stopped to look at him.

Alix put her hands on her hips in that sassy, knuckles-first way of hers. The gesture was right for her but looked odd on the two adult men who mimicked it. She sounded like herself when she said, "The Liaison wants your Miraculous, Cat Noir."

"The _Liaison_ isn't getting it." He replied, backing away.

"Okay, if that's how you feel right now, Cat Noir, that's fine." Mr. Haprèle agreed reasonably. When he relaxed into his easy demeanor, the other two followed suit, "But let's talk. We don't really want to fight, we just want to let you understand us. Then we can work together."

Looking down at him, Cat Noir noticed Ladybug creep out of the room Marinette had hidden in. He kept his gaze strictly on Mr. Haprèle, so he wouldn't betray her presence, but he did allow himself a smile. If Ladybug had seen Marinette, then she was already rescued.

In his head, he could see Ladybug gently pull Marinette from her hiding place and assure her that Adrien would be okay. Ladybug even commended her loyalty and bravery, before helping Marinette esca-

"How?" He murmured to himself. He knew there was no other way into that room, because he'd been looking for a way to get Marinette out himself.

A door opened behind him. Before he could react to it, a hand settled on his shoulder. He winced, remembering he hadn't seen Kim since he'd ducked the athlete just after transforming. Kim's grip tightened slightly, "Ladybug?"

As one, Alix, Mr. Haprèle, and Mr. Damocles turned to look at Ladybug, their postures' straightening, their chests puffing out. She backed away, eyeing each of them.

With all the focus on her, it was his moment. Cat Noir grabbed Kim's wrist and yanked him crossways over his shoulder. Then he jumped the stairs to land in front of the locker room where he'd left Chloe, calling to his partner, "Ladybug, I think they only have one mind. So, if one of them sees you, they all do."

"I figured that out, thanks," She shouted back. Using her yo-yo, she leapt to the roof.

Cat Noir kicked Mr. Haprèle way from the locker room door, and then slammed some of the lockers down in front of it once he was inside. He knew that wouldn't stop anyone truly desperate for long, even Sabrina could move these lockers, but he was only in here to get Chloe out. He wrenched open the locker he'd hidden her in.

"Cat Noir!" She screeched, launching herself into his arms. "What kept you!"

"Uh." He had no excuses prepared. He hadn't even known she'd expect one.

He was relived to discover she actually didn't. "You have to get me out of here! And you have to save Adrien! He's around here somewhere."

"I already got him out." He lied, then to smooth it out he added. "In fact, he was the one who told me where to find you."

Something hit the door hard enough to jangle the lockers. Cat Noir yanked Chloe to an open window and wrapped an arm around her slender waist. He used his staff to get them first to the sill, then to the ground outside.

"Ms. Bourgeois!" It was Ms. Mendeleiev. Why she'd thought it safe to return was beyond him. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"Excuse me!?" Chloe demanded. She released him, her hands flying to her hips.

"Cat Noir, would you speak with me for a moment, please? I would like you to understand the gravity of our situation."

It almost worked. Cat Noir almost let go of Chloe and went to her. After all, if she had any extra information, they needed it.

Above him, Ladybug cried, "No Cat Noir! It's a trick!"

Without question, without even pausing to think, he turned on his heel, hoisted Chloe onto his shoulder and then pole-vaulted to a roof opposite of the school. He turned back to look. Sure enough, Max hurried to Ms. Mendeleiev's side, watching them escape.

"Ladybug! Cat Noir! Help!" Nathaniel leaned backwards out of a window on the third floor. He seemed to be trying to fend someone off, but his angle wasn't a good one. Unless his core muscles were stronger than Cat Noir suspected, or someone helped him soon, he was going to fall.

Cat Noir tensed, all his instincts telling him to leave Chloe long enough to save the artist. That was his job after all. Ladybug saved the day, he saved her and a fair share of the civilians. He took two long strides to the edge of the roof, but she was already in route.

His lady turned to him only long enough to call, "Stay away from anyone trying to understand you!"

"What!?" Chloe demanded. "That doesn't even make sense."

"No, but it's given me a dollar." He teased absently. He was pretty sure he understood Ladybug's meaning. Everyone who'd tried to approach him had used some variation of the word understand. They had all wanted him to understand. He turned back to Chloe and offered her a hand, "Let's get you off this roof."

Chloe returned to him, lightly wrapping her arms around his neck. He didn't really want to encourage the stranglehold he regularly surrendered to as Adrien, but he didn't think she'd be able to hold on as he moved rooftop to rooftop with such a loose grip. "Please Ms. Bourgeios, hold on tight, I don't want to risk you falling."

Chloe rolled her eyes, but her grip tightened. The minute they were off, Cat Noir no longer worried for her safety, but he did worry about his own eardrums. Chloe was strangling him and shirking in his ear. When they'd gone several rooftops, he landed and released her, shaking his head. The gesture offered no relief to his still ringing ears.

She took advantage of the opportunity to screech at him. "Who taught you how to do that!? It was bumpy the whole ride and I kept thinking you were going drop me! And you wrinkled my jacket! Ladybug is so much better at this! How are you so bad at it!?"

"Cat Noir!" Someone on ground called, saving him from replying. He trotted to the edge of the roof, and Nino flagged him down again. "Cat Noir, I need your help!"

"Stay here for a moment." He told Chloe quietly.

"Where would I even go!?" She retorted as he leapt down to Nino.

"Hey Nino. Are you alright?"

"No. Alya is around here somewhere, and I can't find her." Nino walked calmly toward him, but his voice was short and clipped from what Cat Noir assumed was nerves. "When Ivan ran out of the school earlier, he caused a panic. He was shouting about Max, and Kim, and Mr. Damocles. Alya, my uh, girlfriend, actually threw Rose to him and ran away. But that's only because she doesn't un, get it. Will you help me find her? I think we could explain it to her together."

Cat Noir started to shake his head, then thought about it. It was true he needed to get back to Ladybug, but Alya was smart and very brave. If she had run, it was because she had seen something. She could easily have useful information. He looked up and down the alley. Surely it wouldn't take long to find her.

Nino grabbed his hand. Cat Noir started to look at him, then something slammed into him. He rolled across the ground, clinging to the person who'd bowled him over. Alya, he realized when he came to a stop above her.

"Get us out of here!" She demanded, pushing him up. "He's one of them."

"Wait! Cat Noir! The Liaison doesn't want this to be an us vs. you. We just want everyone to understand each other." Nino called.

Alya frowned at her beau, but it was all Cat Noir needed. He scooped her up and returned to the roof with Chloe. When set Alya down, she took two steps away from him looking pensive. "Did you hear that?"

"Well obviously." Chloe's eye roll was so loud that it almost made an audible sound. "Half of Paris could hear it."

Before Cat Noir could call her on her attitude, Alya walked back to him, "I think I just figured out who the Liaison is. Can we talk to Ladybug?"

"Alright." He looked around, "But with Nino down there, we'll have to move first. I don't want him bringing others while were distracted."

"You can move me over there." Chloe pointed. "That's my daddy's hotel. I have something I need to do there anyway."

Alya was already nodding. "Take her. I can hide until you get back. Then you and I can find Ladybug together."

He made the trip across the three rooftops to Le Grand Paris in record time. Chloe didn't bother berating him again but fled inside the moment he released her.

His staff chirped. He answered it quickly, "I'm sorry, Bugaboo, I don't have much time. Alya is waiting on me, and she says she might have information."

"Okay. I'm at the Jardins du Trocadéro with a few other students. I think I've figured some of this out too, so hurry!" She hung up.

He grinned but got back to work. He loved that girl. She had a ferocity, and strong sense of obligation that didn't prevent her sweeter side from occasionally surfacing. Sure, she occasionally screwed up, and she had her flaws, but everyone human did. What was important was that tenacity, and her honest heart.

He was still smiling when he landed on the building where he'd left Alya. That faded when Nino fell out of a nearby door onto the roof. "Dude, please. We're like, friends. Remember when you and Ladybug danced for me on 'The Challenge'? Just hear me out."

"At least you sound like Nino now."

"'Cause I am Nino!" Nino took another step forward, and Cat Noir stepped back, his heels at the edge of the roof. "I'm just more now. The Liasion did it, and it feels great, dude. I understand everyone that's here with me. I can appreciate who they are, 'cause now the Liasion has like, combined us together. But that doesn't make me not me anymore. We're still us!"

"Nino." Alya crept from her hiding place.

Nino looked from her to Cat Noir, indecision written all over his face. Then his posture straightened, and he turned his back on her to face Cat Noir. It wasn't Kim this time. This was the posture of someone who wasn't just self-assured, but haughty. Mr. Damocles, if he had to guess. When Nino spoke again, it was in his vocal range, but his cadence was completely wrong. "Now see here, Cat Noir, you're being ridiculous. You too, young lady."

"Right." Cat Noir rolled his shoulders, and then sprinted directly at Nino. The current personality reacted with surprise, drawing back. Cat Noir vaulted over him at last second, continued forward, and caught Alya around the middle. She hugged him tightly as he leapt from the roof. "Ladybug says she's at the Jardins du Trocadéro with a few other students. We'll head that way now."

"Good. I think the akuma victim might be my language teacher." Alya replied. She shifted positions on the next rooftop, clinging to him piggyback style so his arms and hands would be free.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Ms. Bustier was pretty upset yesterday. I think she thinks her new project caused the Mother Midas attack, and I guess in way it kinda did, but the rest of us still appreciate it."

"If she was upset yesterday though, why would she only become the Liaison today?"

"I don't know." He felt Alya shake her head, "Maybe she's catching heat from Mayor Bourgeois and Mr. Damocles, or maybe it's that we managed to distract her yesterday. Regardless, I'm almost sure it's her. The entire project was supposed to help us understand our classmates, so it makes sense that she's trying to force people to understand each other now."

He nodded. He doubted he would have connected the pieces like that, but it was a reasonable suggestion, and he and Ladybug had gone off of less before.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Alya asked a moment later. "It won't be too personal, but there's something I have to know."

"As the ever-intrepid reporter, I'm sure there's lots you have to know." He teased.

"I'm taking that as yes." She told him. "So, do you have a wife or children?"

"Oh man, your boyfriend gets inducted into one little hive mind, and you're already making a bee line for a new one?"

He felt her snort. "Not quite."

"No." He shook his head. "I'm completely single."

"And Ladybug?"

He thought about his confession, and her admittance that she loved someone in her civilian life. It wasn't his secret to tell. Not that it mattered, his feet hit the ground and he let Alya down off his back. "We're here."

Ladybug stood guard over several of his classmates. He was disappointed to see that Marinette wasn't among them, but he had no way of asking what had happened to her. Thankfully, Alya had no such reservations. "Where's Marinette?"

"Didn't she follow you?" Sabrina asked, anxiety giving her an accusatory tone, "She's your best friend."

"No. I didn't see where she went."

"Nino and Juleka said something about Adrien, maybe-" Mylene started.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have time to worry about your friend right now." Ladybug cut in, "Alya, Cat Noir said you might know something."

"Yeah," Alya launched into a summary of what she'd told Cat Noir.

Ladybug nodded. "That makes sense, and there's something else, Cat Noir."

He looked at her, and she pointed to Nathaniel, "In the Library, he was holding off the physical education teacher with a drawing."

"What drawing?"

Nathaniel unhappily presented him with a sketch of Ladybug. It was a close up of her face. "It's for comic I'm working on. I realize now it's not perfect, but-"

"But it distracted Mr. D'Argencourt." Ladybug finished. She hesitated, "There was another boy."

Ivan nodded. "Our bandmate, Luka, tried to help Juleka. She got him. We all saw the flash when she looked into his eyes."

"He fought it off though!" Rose chirped. "He didn't chase us. He stopped and walked away. Juleka too!"

"They got distracted by a poster of Jagged Stone." Ladybug shook her head. "They stopped to look at his face. It makes me think that they have to look at someone to bring them into the mind, and maybe they can't look away when they see the face."

"It's not the face, Ladybug," Alya broke in, "Nino looked at Cat Noir, and still looked back at me again without taking him."

"Their eyes." Nathaniel said quietly.

"What?" Both heroes turned to him. He held out his sketch as he'd done in the library. Ladybug's eyes were definitely the focal point. Cat Noir looked at the real Ladybug. She nodded, "Thanks Nathaniel. You too, Alya. All of you stay here and hide if you see anyone you recognize. Kitty?"

"Back to the school, Mi'lady?"

"Let's go." And she was off.

Their return didn't take long. Ladybug paused at only one point in their trip. She pointed out the poster where Luka and Juleka had been sidetracked. Someone had sloshed paint on it, covering the eyes as well as most of the rest of the face.

Landing quietly on the roof, they spied on the people still in the building. Ms. Mendeleiev was missing, but Nino had returned, and Master D'Argencourt was now patrolling near the main doors.

Cat Noir's eyes strayed to the closet that might still house Marinette. Ladybug touched his shoulder. He looked at her.

"Did you hear me?" She whispered.

"No. Sorry. I was distracted."

"I said, I think we need to draw them out of the building. I don't think the Liaison will come out of hiding until we do."

"Okay. Do you want me to lead them off?"

She shook her head. "I'm worried that not everyone will follow you. I'm going to try my Lucky Charm over there, in front of the school, and see what I get. With the doors closed, I should have a chance to figure out what to do next before they spot me, but keep an eye out anyone coming, okay?"

"Right." He followed her to the edge of the roof and watched as she leapt lightly down to the side walk below.

He didn't hear her Lucky Charm warcry, but something was summoned. He blinked at it hard, trying to make sense of it. It looked like a life-size statue of a red, brachiosaurus with black oval spots. No, it _was_ a life-size statue of a brachiosaurus covered in ladybug spots.

"I really hope that's something helpful, and not a commentary of our fate." He muttered.

Ladybug was already in motion. She'd grabbed a pink backpack from the ground that Cat Noir thought might belong to Rose and removed something from it. Then she began to work her way around the statue, pausing before it, moving, then pausing again.

"Ladybug!" Luka had come around a corner.

Everyone inside the courtyard looked at the main doors.

Cat Noir jumped. "Cataclysm!"

He dragged his hand down the massive school doors. They rotted and fell together as broken timber, creating an obstacle course for anyone inside planning to use that route.

He turned to address Luka, but found him, his sister, and Ms. Mendeleiev staring at the statue. Ladybug threw Cat Noir a marker that hit him square in the chest. "Help me finish!"

That's when he realized that she'd used the spots on the dinosaur to make eyes at different heights. The statue's curves and grooves made it hard not to catch at least one pair of them as long as he faced it. He went to work, "Sure thing, Bugaboo. But you know, my eyes are _only_ for you."

They finished up to the sound of several people running toward them. Ladybug nodded to him, and then she yo-yoed up to the roof. He followed.

Nino, Max, and Master D'Argencourt came around a corner, and the moment their gaze landed on the statue, they slowed and walked toward it, staring at the crudely drawn eyes. Cat Noir watched as Alix, Mr. Damocles, and Kim left together. They too became transfixed when they saw the dinosaur, each one approaching a different set of eyes.

The door to Mr. Damocles office opened, and someone stepped out. They were flamboyantly dressed in a mix of styles, and bright colors. It took Cat Noir a moment to see that it was Ms. Bustier. Her skin had become paper white, and her hair, hidden beneath a cap that was strikingly similar to Nino's, was ink black. Her outfit was an amalgamation of the styles worn by her victims; Juleka's gloves, Max's bowtie, and Mr. Damocles suit jacket. He was pleased to see that she had nothing he immediately recognized as Marinette's.

The Liaison moved cautiously, summoning Mr. Haprèle to her side. She clutched a pad of paper tightly to her chest. Mr. Haprèle walked protectively behind her.

Ladybug, crouched beside him, whispered, "I don't think she has any other powers, that's why she's being so cautious."

She waited until the Liaison crossed close to the basketball goals, then threw her yo-yo. Cat Noir, without being told, recognized what he was supposed to do. He leapt down toward his teacher as she went skyward, hoisted by Ladybug's yo-yo. He grabbed the pad as it fell from her hands and ripped it in half.

Then he caught Ms. Bustier as Ladybug released her.

"No more evildoing for you little akuma!" Came the shout.

He turned to Mr. Haprèle, content to keep him at bay until Ladybug finished her work. When Ladybug's healing wave knocked over his adversary, Cat Noir caught him and lowered him to his knees. "Cat Noir? Caline? What happened?"

"An akuma attack, sir. Nothing to worry about. You're safe now." Cat Noir moved to check on Ms. Bustier. "Are you alright, ma'am?"

"Yes, but my students. Do you know where they are?" She looked up at him with clear blue eyes. "I've only been trying to help them."

"They know that." He squatted down to meet her gaze. "You should tell Mr. Damocles to ask the students how they feel about your project. They're going to be the ones most affected by it after all."

She nodded. "I will. Thank you, Cat Noir."

He sparred one last look at the closet. He didn't have time now, and anyway, the danger was past. He raced upstairs to one of the empty classrooms and shed his disguise. When he emerged, he saw Marinette helping Ms. Bustier to her feet. He exhaled in relief.

It was only then that he realized, he hadn't said goodbye to Ladybug.

* * *

 **So, a couple of quick points. Apparently, the last chapter caused quite a bit of confusion, and I want to apologize for that. I hoping it's just because I failed with making a recognizable hive mind effect, and not something else. (Although realistically, I was pretty busy that week with "Tempests and Slaughter" and the new Miraculous episode, so it might have been just been weak writing.)**  
 **Second, a quick shout out. Before I started this chapter, I was already planning for a hive mind with Ms. Bustier, and was talking to my brother and sister-in-law about what I could use to stop it. My nephew answered first while the adults were still thinking, and he was very insistent that the answer was a brachiosaurus. And well, when a four year old tells you to use a dinosaur, you use a dinosaur. I think it worked well, and could not be prouder of him.**  
 **Finally, I'd like to say thank you again for the continued support. Your comments and criticisms fuel me.**

 **-SG**


	11. Nathaniel's Superheroes

"Caline!" Mr. Damocles hurried into the school. "I'm sending everyone home for today. With an akuma attack from a teacher during school hours, I think that's best."

"Of course. I'm sorry, sir." Ms. Bustier drew away from Marinette. "I'm so sorry, this-"

"It's alright." Mr. Damocles interrupted. Then he sighed tiredly, "There will be an outcry, there always is, but we all have our bad days. I'll stand by you."

Ms. Bustier smiled at him, but Marinette noticed it was trembling on the edges. "Thank you."

Mr. Haprèle touched her shoulder. He smiled when she looked at him, but wordlessly drew his phone out of his pocket. He tapped it twice. "Mylene, are you alright sweetie?"

He listened to her response before telling her, "They're sending everyone home for the day. So, have your friends call their parents and let them know they're okay, loan them your phone if you need too. Then I want you take Sabrina back to our house. I'll be home later, and we'll talk about this then okay?"

"She was with Ivan, and several other kids." He told them, hanging up on his daughter. "Sabrina, obviously, but Nathaniel, Alyla, and Rose as well."

"I just sent the ones outside home. Kim is walking Alix and Max to the museum where her father works, and he'll stay with them until his mother gets home from work. Nino Lahiffe is trying to get ahold of Nathaniel, and he'll check in with us before he leaves. The kids from my class stayed close but hid well. I spoke to all of them, and Jean and Aurora agreed to take charge and see the rest home." Ms. Mendeleiev told them. "All in all, if this had to happen, and I think we all knew it would eventually, this was a good way to have it happen. I'm seeing the uses in your buddy sys-"

"What?" Marinette blurted out.

"Huh? Oh, Marinette. I didn't see you there." Ms. Mendeleiev frowned at her. "To answer what I assume is your question, yes. We figured one of us would get akumitized on school property again eventually. We spend quite a bit of time here, and we aren't made of stone. Maybe remember that next time you're late to my class."

Marinette failed to suppress a giggle at this last bit, but it was clear her teacher had meant it as joke and smiled along with her. "Sorry, Ms. Mendeleiev."

Mr. Damocles frowned at them both. "You better be getting home, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Who is you partner in Ms. Bustier's class?"

"It's me, sir." Adrien trotted down the stairs to them. "Marinette is my partner. I was just looking for her."

"Ah. Good. Would you please take her home, and wait there? I'm going to contact everyone's parents tonight about what happened here and the project."

"Forgive me, sir." Adrien bit lip, and then looked up, "Maybe you should offer to do an assembly. It might help everyone to able to talk it out with each other."

The instructors frowned at him, except Mr. Haprèle.

"I think he's got a point. As a teacher, my knee jerk reaction is to end Caline's project and send all the kids home, but as a parent." Mr. Haprèle shrugged, "I know Sabrina isn't the problem, and she has been eating up everything Mylene has had to show her. I'd hate to dampen what seems to be a blooming friendship between the two."

He looked closely at Ms. Bustier. "What made you decide to pair those two anyway?"

"It's exactly what you said, Fred." She picked up her stencil pad and showed it to him. "Sabrina desperately _needs_ a friend. She's good for Chloe, but when Chloe is in a mood, Sabrina is one of the ones most often hurt. I just wanted her to have another friend she could go to when that happens, and your daughter is the most patient of my students, and the most forgiving. If anyone could help Sabrina, it's her.

"And for Mylene, she is so easily frightened, and Sabrina is not. Or I guess, it's actually that Sabrina charges in despite her fear. And it's not any faith she may have in Cat Noir and Ladybug that makes her do it, it's that she's driven to protect Chloe. I was hoping, maybe she could show Mylene just how she faces her fear so Mylene could feel a little braver."

"It might not seem this way with two akuma attacks in one week, but I really put a lot of thought in this project. For instance, Nino and Nathaniel, I paired them together because Nino could use a little discretion, and Nathaniel needs an exuberant, eager friend to get him out of his protective shell. And I know Nino would excel at that because he was already so good with, well," She looked at Adrien and trailed off. "I just wanted everyone to have partner they could learn something from and teach something to."

"Ms. Mendeleiev, I got Nathaniel on the phone, but we're a little worried about just going home." Nino called, trotting into the building. "He's kinda a latch-key kid, and both of us are a little freaked."

Nino might not have noticed the tick of pain in Ms. Bustier's throat when he said that, but Marinette did. She reached out touched Ms. Bustier hand. Startled, her teacher looked at her. Marinette smiled reassuringly, and then she turned to Nino. "I know Alya's parents won't be home yet either, so why don't you ask Nathaniel to have her and Rose walk him to my place. The six of us can hang out there until everyone's off work. I know Mom and Dad won't mind as soon as I tell them what's going on."

"Oh cool, thanks Marinette!" He smiled in relief and nodded to the teachers before moving away to call Nathaniel again.

Marinette turned one last time to Mr. Damocles. "I know as a student, even as a class rep, my word doesn't mean much here, but I think Adrien is right, sir. Right now, all of the students I've spoken to still believe that the class project is a good idea. Please give them a chance to defend it."

"I will think on it. Now, for the last time, the two of you had better get home and take Mr. Lahiffe with you." He huffed.

Marinette nodded, and then taking the hand that Adrien offered, they scurried from the building, Adrien summoning Nino to come with them. They stopped in the bakery to explain to her parents what happened, and true to form her parents welcomed the extra guests.

"The only thing, Marinette, is that I need to run the store, so your father can finish that big order we had come in. We don't have time to make lunch for you all." Her mother reminded her.

Her papa smiled. "But if you kids will come down here to the work station when you're hungry, you can teach your friends how to make their own mini quiches, and I can supervise a little. If they all work together, I'm sure it won't take too long. Just make sure you wait until about thirteen, okay? I want time this morning to spread out as I need to."

"Okay, Papa," She hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

"Make sure no one has any homework left over from yesterday before you get up to any mischief," Her mom started. Marinette turned to see she addressed not only her, but Adrien and Nino too, "And I rather you kids stay indoors. I know the danger is past, but it would make me feel better. Okay?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Don't worry Ms. Cheng, I'll look after everyone." Adrien promised.

Her mother smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you Adrien. I know you will."

While Marinette hugged her mother, her father gathered a handful of cookies, two or three per an expected child, and handed them on a plate to Adrien. "Let us know when Alya and the others arrive if they don't come through the bakery. Okay?"

"Yes, sir." He nodded.

Marinette led the way upstairs to her room, then she took one of her own cookies and excused herself, disappearing back downstairs to the bathroom. "Tikki?"

She opened her bag, and the Kwami smiled out at her. Tikki grinned even more broadly at the cookie in her hand. Marinette passed it over and waited for her to finish eating. "It sounds like my friends will be over for most of today. Do you want to hang out up near my bed? You'd have to stay low, but at least you'd be free to move around some."

"Actually, Marinette." Tikki looked at her seriously, "I think I'd like to hang out down here. There's more space, and if you'd give me a warning before anyone came downstairs, I think it would be okay."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. Just come get me if anything goes wrong. Okay?"

"Okay." Marinette took off the small bag she usually carried Tikki in and hung it on a hook meant for bathrobes. "I'll come get you when everyone goes home."

Marinette washed her hands in the sink and slid open the bathroom door quietly. Then she pulled loose her twin tails and ran water over a hair brush. She emerged from the bathroom brushing her hair.

The gesture paid off. Adrien had come downstairs to rifle through his bags, muttering to himself. He snapped up at her approach, turning almost guiltily on his heel.

She stopped, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted a moment to sort of, unwind, before everyone got here."

"I get it. I feel much the same. In fact, I usually take a shower, if I can. It's just really relaxing." He nodded quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. Then he knelt back down toward his bag.

"Oh! Did you need one now?" Marinette blushed hard. It was unreal. Tikki had just gotten done asking to stay down here, and Adrien might need to use the room she was currently hiding in. He would be completely naked with her in there. Marinette turned redder. "Because I need to go back in there! To uh, put my brush away!"

"Uh," Adrien's eyes dropped to his bag, and then came back to her. "No, I'm good."

That's when she noticed the containers of cheese and the small black cat doll in his bag.

"Oh!" She suddenly understood. Adrien must have come down here for comfort food and was embarrassed to have her see his little stuffed toy. "I'm sorry, Adrien! I wasn't trying to pry. I won't tell anyone about the, uh, cheese. I get that it's probably a comfort stuffy- food! I mean. I understand why you might want to keep it with you when you stay over at other places, or-"

"He is!" Adrien replied immediately, "He's uh, well, I got him just before I started school, and after what happened with mom, he's been a comfort. He sort of encourages me to be myself, but I'd hate for anyone to find out about him."

She reached out a hand to pull him to his feet. Then Marinette knelt by his bag, and pulled the zipper closed over the little stuffed animal and the cheese. She stood and smiled at him. "Your secret is safe with me."

She heard a strange sound that she would have mistaken for laughter if Adrien hadn't hit his chest hard and coughed. His bag brushed her leg as if he'd bumped it with the violent motion. Then he swallowed, "Thanks Marinette, I appreciate it."

A knock came from the dining room door. She smiled at Adrien one last time before she let in her other friends. She put away her brush and retied up her hair. When she joined everyone upstairs, Nino was finishing a question, looking intently at Alya, "hurt you, right?"

"Nah, in fact, it would have been sweet if the idea of joining a hive mind weren't so creepy." She rubbed his thigh in a comforting way.

"Creepy?"

"Just the hive mind part. I mean, you wanted me to get you, Nino, and that _is_ sweet." She grimaced a little, but continued, "You couldn't even decide if you wanted me or Cat Noir to join the mind more. Someone else had to take over so they could use you to focus on him."

"But I didn't get him either?"

"Not at all!" Rose chirped happily, "Cat Noir brought Alya to where we were hiding, and she and Nathaniel gave Ladybug and Cat Noir vital information!"

Adrien looked at Nathaniel, "What did you tell them?"

"Not much." Nathaniel shrugged.

"He showed them his drawing of Ladybug that he'd used to hold off Mr. D'Argencourt. With it they were able to figure out that eyes were the weak point of the Liaison's hive mind." Alya told him. "Actually Nathaniel, do you mind if I see it again. It was really good."

Nathaniel frowned at her, but quietly pulled out his sketch book and handed it to her. Alya examined the face closely. Marinette looked over her shoulder. The sketch was good, but thankfully had enough subtle differences to keep it from looking like her. Alya nodded, "I see what you mean. I can see this as Ladybug, but it didn't look quite right while she was standing next to it. I wonder if that means the Miraculous have some kinda glamour that can cloud minds."

Alya started to hand the book back by its spiral spine. Several loose sketches fell out of it. Nathaniel blanched and grabbed out at them. He made a sound of protest when the others tried to help him. "No! Please! They're personal."

Adrien who had scooped up one of the pages looked up at him in awe. "Nathaniel, if you want these back without talking about them, that's fine, but this is amazing. I'd love to hear about your ideas for it."

"He wants to make a comic strip, but he's not really writer so he's just made the covers so far. You should see ours, dude. It's so swank." Nino told him proudly.

Nathaniel's jaw dropped, and he turned wide disbelieving eyes on Nino. "You said you wouldn't!"

"He's already seen it, dude, and they are amazing. I told you that!" Nino said, shaking his head, "I'm not trying to embarrass you, but I think you should tell everybody. I think they'll be super excited about it."

Marinette looked at the sketch in Adrien's hand. It was Rose and Juleka standing back to back. Rose's hair was plumed up into the style of Princess Fragrance, but she wore a mask that looked like fairie wings, and her costume was almost ballerina inspired. Juleka's hair brushed past her face at the bottom of her jaw, giving her even more of an air of mystery than her simple veil could provide. Her outfit was a dark color, but had a looser, wispier look than Rose's. Across the bottom of the image, in heroic styled typography, read the words 'Fairie Bright and Nightshade take on the Duskers!'

"You turned Rose and Juleka into super heroes?" Marinette asked.

"What?" Rose squeaked.

Nathaniel looked terrified, but Nino put a hand on his shoulder. "Dude."

Rose came around Adrien to look at the image. Then she flung herself at Nathaniel. "I love it, Nath! We look so cute!"

Nathaniel returned her hug awkwardly, his expression softening to mere apprehension. "Nino's telling the truth. I actually drew everyone as superheroes. Well, not me or Chloe or Sabrina, but everyone else in class."

"That's so cool, Nathaniel!" Alya told him. "We'd all love to see them."

He shuffled around his sketches and showed them off one by one. Mylene and Ivan had been drawn as a duo named the Moon and the Mountain. He'd done three images of them together. The first had Mylene shinning behind Ivan like a guiding light, putting the focus on him. In the second one, she was in the center, dancing in his hands as if she were Tinkerbell to his Peter Pan. The third had her lying injured on the ground with an enraged Ivan getting to his feet behind her. Nathaniel shrugged at these and showed them a solo picture of each of them, "She's actually normal size, but I kinda had this idea that she keeps him powered up. Like, she's the healer that lets him juggernaut through anything."

"Oh, that so cool!" Rose said, taking the picture of Mylene. "What's my power? And Juleka's!? Are we friends as Nightshade and Fairie Bright? We're friends, right? And I'm Fairie Bright, right? Are you going to make us into a full comic someday? Do we sometimes work with Mylene and Ivan or they are enemies? You know we'd totally crush them if they were!"

"They're actually friendly, right Nathaniel?" Nino interjected.

Nathaniel nodded, "Yeah, you're all in the same world together, but you handle different issues. I haven't figure out how yet, but you're basically different hero groups that only work together on occasion."

"That is so cool!" Rose repeated.

Adrien looked at him, "You said you did the rest of us too?"

"Yeah, I haven't decided their powers yet, but here's the Royal Sect." Nathaniel handed him an image of Alix, Max and Kim. "Um, she's the Pharaoh, a little because of her family, but mostly because Pharaohs could be women with no title difference, and I think she'd get more of a kick out being called that then something like, queen. Also, it puts her on the same level as Kim who is the Emperor and Max who I'm thinking about calling him the Sultan. Originally I wanted Max's character to be the Mansa, and he'd probably know that word, but I was worried a lot of other people wouldn't."

Alix stood in the center in front of the two boys. She was the perfect picture of sass as she held each of them back with the flat of her palms, an expression of confidence making her glow. Kim was grinningly arrogantly, one hand wrapped around her wrist, and the other curled around her fingers, leaning forward, ready to engage. Max also held Alix's arm close, but he was flatting her hand to his belly like he might actually pull her away with him to keep her safe. His expression was cheerful, but more reserved and wary than his companions.

"I think it's your work, Nathaniel." Marinette smiled up at him, "If you think Max should be called the Mansa, and you want to call him that, you should."

"Yeah, and Max would probably appreciate people learning new things on his behalf." Alya nodded.

Nathaniel smiled shyly at them, and handed Alya the next sketch, "The Winged Ones."

Alya was the front and center of this one. She leaned forward, her weight on her right leg while the left curled behind her like a dancer. Her body was twisted at an angle that only female superheroes in comics ever achieve, allowing the viewer to see her hands pressed together at the small of her back, a flame dancing between them. Nino stood behind her, his arms raised to the sky, showing off the massive scythes that were attached to them. In the background, almost as afterthoughts, were Adrien and Marinette, framing Nino. Although, Adrien had wings relaxed along his back, Marinette saw no hint of her own powers.

As if reading her thoughts, Nathaniel said, "I haven't figured out what you do either yet, Marinette. I was thinking some kind of support power, because while I know you'll always stand up for your friends, I can't see you as the type to charge straight into battle."

Marinette, thinking of her alter ego, giggled at that.

Nathaniel read this as encouragement, and continued eagerly, "Originally, I was going to just make you and Alya a team together and call you Lotus and Tiger Lily. You can kinda see it in the character designs, the way Alya still has some stripes, and your costume has that flower bit. I liked them too much to get rid of them.

"I also had Nino and Adrien as the Firefly and the Dragonfly, but I felt bad for separating Alya and Nino, so I tried those two together, but that left you and Adrien by yourselves. Eventually, I just combined all four of you. Adrien kept the Dragonfly and his original outfit, but Alya became the Firefly and got a mix of her and Nino's old outfits. Nino became the Mantis because Alya has the more fiery personality."

"So, who am I?"

"The Damselfly. I know it links you and Adrien a little much, but I couldn't call Alya that, and I figure these characters are based on you guys. They don't have to be you entirely." Nathaniel explained quickly. "I mean, I could always make you two siblings or-"

"But they'd look so cute together in their costumes!" Rose interjected. "You have to make them a couple."

"No, I'm telling you, dude, give them sort of a will-they-won't-they thing. Readers will eat it up." Nino told him.

"I actually agree with Nino." Alya nodded. "I'm not usually for romantic subplots, but I can almost see it, especially in this picture with how you separated them with Nino, but then made them look at each other."

"But," Nathaniel gestured at Adrien and Marinette.

"I don't mind being paired up with Marinette." Adrien shrugged. "I mean, you said the characters are just based on us, and she's a good friend. If you want us together for your story, then you have my permission to put us together. Marinette?"

"Ye-yeah! That'd be great, I mean fine!" Marinette felt her cheeks go scarlet, "I mean it's fine with me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, absolutely!"

"Just do me a favor, if I'm going to be with Marinette, keep us together." Adrien shook his head, "I don't care how long it takes us to get there, but once you have us, don't keep breaking us up over stupid reasons. I hate that cliché."

"Okay." Nathaniel agreed, "I can do that."

"Now, you need some way to connect them all together." Alya told him, "You said the different groups sometimes work together, but they also handle their own things too. How?"

"Maybe because of Nathaniel," Marinette offered, "Maybe you know everyone's specialties, and sort of direct the others where to go."

Nathaniel shook his head, "Last time I drew myself as a hero, I ended up a villain."

"Nathaniel, we've all been villains." Marinette touched his hand gently, "I don't think that should exclude you from being a hero again."

He looked at her for a long moment, and then finally back down at his paper, "Maybe it would be okay, if I were just a watcher of some sort. If I just helped the heroes somehow."

"Like a director." Alya suggested, "You wouldn't be super hands on, instead you'd be like Gaia in Captain Planet, or Alpha in Power Rangers. You'd watch for problems and send out the best people for the job. You could also offer additional information as needed."

"Yeah, you could be Gifter!" Rose clapped her hands enthusiastically, "You could gift powers and send us out to solve problems."

Nathaniel shook his head, "I think you all need your own powers because you have them."

"You could be J.A.M, Just-A-Man," Adrien told him, "That would keep the theme of not being one of the hands-on heroes while still sounding a little mysterious. You're just a man who gets things done."

"Or you could be Amp, for like, you know, amping us and making us work together." Nino suggested, mock punching the air in front of him.

"What about Genesis," Alya proposed. "Because you're what starts us out each time?"

"Or the Conductor." Marinette offered. "Because the separate groups depend on you to lead them, so they can work together."

"You're also the one with the most information, and have the easiest time getting more, like the Conductor of a train." Adrien agreed.

Nathaniel held up a hand as he considered everyone's suggestions. "I think I like the Conductor and J.A.M the best, but I need some more with them, if that's okay."

"Of course, dude. It's your thing." Nino replied.

"In the meantime, I think I figured out Marinette's powers for you." Alya told him. "I think given what she just did, she should have the power of suggestion. Like she can inspire her friends, or cause doubt in the enemy."

"She could also calm civilians and get them to leave an area safely." Adrien agreed. "It's a great support power."

Nathaniel looked at her through his hair. "Marinette, what do you think?"

"I like it." She smiled back.

"You know Nathaniel, if you need a writer for these, I wouldn't mind helping." Alya told him.

"Um," He heistated, frowning at her.

"I wouldn't take over. It's still your project, but I'm happy to help you bounce ideas around. Maybe help you set up a website, if you wanted to publish them online."

"I could use a little help with that." He admitted. "But I don't really have anything beyond these drawings right now."

"Okay, well, how be we spend the day working together?" Marinette asked. "You be the conductor and let us know how we can help."

"I think I'd like that." He answered, chuckling a little at her joke. "Maybe you could help me with sketching? Not the actual strip. I still want to do that, but maybe other poses and some cover art?"

"Sure!"

"Rose and I can work on civilian identities if you get us started." Adrien offered.

"And I'll put together a playlist of theme songs for you!" Nino grinned. Everyone spent a long moment starring at him before he shrugged. "Hey! Music helps. And music that fits a character will let ya'll get more in character for your writing and drawing and stuff."

Nathaniel started laughing first, and everyone slowly joined him. Then they got to work sharing information and ideas as they had them. When Nathaniel's parents finally came for him and Nino that evening, his sketch book was full of concept art, he had refence photos of their friends provided by Alya, and his website had been started with a 'coming soon' tagline.

Marinette particularly loved the work they'd done on her own character, whom Rose had named Emilie. Although she was only going to be a side character in the comics, Adrien had given her the perfect backstory as a friendly girl who worked in her family's restaurant, offering advice to the lost souls who wandered in looking for solace and coffee. And Alya, had made the suggestion that her most frequent visitor be the alter ego of the Dragonfly, the school prince Tristan, who came by the restaurant on lonely nights looking for her wisdom, and unbeknownst to her, her company.

She was also glad to see that, the hic-up involving her character's name notwithstanding, Adrien seemed mostly at ease with her again. So much so that he hugged her good night the way a brother might when they parted for bed. She sighed in relief when her head hit her pillow. Maybe Tikki was right. Maybe his friendship, that is, his willingness to love her in comics and more of those brotherly hugs, could be enough.


	12. Put it to a Vote

Adrien found himself walking in sync with Marinette to her parents.

His heart was pounding. Last night was his last night with them, he was sure of it. His movements felt stiff and unwilling. Regardless of what the other parents decided, he knew he was going home. The muscles in his throat were already tight. He'd been so determined to have a good time, but now it was over. His composure, near as he could tell, remained perfect.

Growing up, his mother had taught him how to the find silver linings in everything. His father had taught him how to act when he couldn't. Both lessons had stuck even though his mother was gone, and his father was, well, a perfect mask of composure.

Right now, it was his father's lesson he called on. Ms. Cheng and Mr. Dupain had been too kind to him to do otherwise. He didn't want to hurt them. He didn't even want them hurt on his behalf. He just wanted more time.

There was no silver lining to leaving early.

There is Marinette.

Marinette who would still sit behind him every day in class and who would still be his friend. When he smiled at her, she would still smile in return. If she saw through his fake smiles, she would still encourage him as she did the others. She would still be there if he needed her. The project had reassured him of her friendship and sweetness in ways he hadn't known he'd needed. Silver lining.

He thanked his mother quietly for that, muttering, "You always did find father's lesson dumb. Find the lining and be hopeful. Don't fake it."

Marinette looked up at him inquisitively. He smiled at her. "Whatever happens with this assembly, I'm glad we've had this time together."

"Me too." She smiled back at him, but her lips quirked. She wasn't ready for the project to be over either. Probably none of them were.

Ms. Cheng reached out for the two teens and pulled them close at the same time Mr. Dupain wrapped his arm around her and led them to the side of the courtyard, making room for other attending parents. Ms. Cheng sighed, "How are you two doing?"

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other, each waiting for the other answer. It was Adrien who braved it first, "I think we're okay, ma'am."

"Just nervous about the assembly, Mom." Marinette agreed.

She nodded, then looked ruefully at her husband. She gestured softly toward Adrien with one hand. Mr. Dupain took a deep breath and turned to him, "Adrien, son, do you like staying with our family?"

"Yes, sir! Of course!"

"Are you sure? It's okay if you're scared, or you miss your home." Ms. Cheng told him. She scratched his shoulder comfortingly, "We just want to know so we know how to address things with Mr. Damocles."

"No, dad, please listen!" Someone shrilled behind him before he could answer. "I haven't been in any danger with Mylene! In fact, if I hadn't been with her yesterday, I probably would have been sucked into the Hive Mind! She and Ivan saved me!"

He turned to see Sabrina holding on to her father's forearms. A few feet behind her, Max had whipped out his calculator and was running numbers to explain his perspective to his exasperated parents. Beyond them, a small man and a dark-haired valkyrie looked like they were listening to Ivan while Juleka nodded and Ms. Anarka occasionally cut in. All of them were saying the same thing.

He turned back to Marinette's parents. "I've enjoyed my time with your family. I've enjoyed getting to know both of you and getting to know Marinette and my classmates better. If given an option, I'd really like to see this through."

They brightened. Ms. Cheng looked at her daughter, "And I think we already know what you want, but I still have to ask. Marinette, do you-"

"I do, mom." Marinette was already nodding, "I really believe that it's doing more good than harm. Did you know that we saw Nathaniel's sketchbook yesterday? He showed us how he'd turned all of us into superheroes. And Rose, and Mylene, and the other girls all got a chance to get to know Adrien better when we met up on Tuesday, so it's not even just the partners. It's already going beyond that."

"Alright, Marinette!" Mr. Dupain chuckled and held up his hands in surrender. "We believe you, and we've been glad to have you too, Adrien. We just need to see how the other adults feel and get a chance to let them know that we, as a family, still support this."

"Attention Parents!" Mr. Damocles stood on a wooden box opposite of the front door, he raised his hands in a call for quiet. "I've called you all here today because your children are all in Ms. Bustier class, and a current class project has put them at risk."

"It's not been the project, Laddie." Ms. Anarka cut in, "It's been the mayor's own daughter, the way I hear it."

"It's true. I've seen nothing but good from the project itself for Alix so far." Mr. Kubel agreed, putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Yes, she was one of the ones taken by the akuma yesterday, but akumas are hardly anything new. She'll probably have face that kind of danger the rest of her life. What _is_ new, is this tolerance she's developing for what she previously only saw as other people's short comings.

"I mean, Alix has always been a good kid, pretty reasonable and very fierce, but she's not always the best at expressing her opinions delicately. Max is helping her with that. She's learning that some people are overly cautious, and others are, god-forbid, wistful, and that's something you adjust to, maybe even celebrate, but not just roll your eyes at."

Max pushed his glass up his nose with finger and looked at his host. "I hate to disagree with your analysis, sir, but I don't believe anyone has ever accused me of being especially wistful. Not that I would mind, it's just that you are more likely to find such a trait in Rose, Marinette, or Kim."

"Which is why it makes so much more since when you defend it." Alix said, elbowing him lightly.

"Kim? Wistful?" Adrien heard Marinette whisper in surprise.

"Kim, for instance, could never sell himself to me." Alix continued, "I wouldn't believe anything for a moment that I didn't see for myself."

"Gee, thanks Alix." Kim crossed his arms and adjusted his weight to one hip, but he was smirking. Adrien noted that he also stood alone, his mother not yet in attendance.

Alix grinned back at him but continued as if he hadn't spoken. "But from you, Max, I like how you explain things. And I think I'm starting to get it."

"As happy as I am to hear that the project has done some good, we here at Françoise Dupont are trying our hardest to make certain akuma attacks don't happen here while school is in session." Mr. Damocles cut in, arresting control of the conversation back from the students. "Originally, this project was built to help the students understand each other, and I think Ms. Bustier did a very good job with that, but there have been some unforeseen consequences, and we are concerned that it has become unsafe."

"You think it's so unsafe? Fine then. Don't listen to us and end it." Ms. Anarka told him. She turned to the valkyrie Ivan had been talking too, "I'm tellin' ya now, I've got no problem with Ivan stayin' aboard the Liberty and finishing this up all informal like. Also, if ya'll take her, I'll be sending Juleka around next week."

"We'd love to have her." The dark-haired woman replied elegantly. She turned to Juleka, "I look forward to getting to know you, Juleka. Ivan doesn't talk much about his classmates, but Mylene has had nothing but good to say about you and your friends."

Ms. Anarka gave Mr. Damocles a smug nod and turned on her heel as if to leave. From their stances, the valkyrie and her husband had every intention of following her.

"Now just a minute," Mr. Damocles called, exasperation emanating from fiber of him.

"Sir," Adrien used his best commercial voice, the one that always turned heads, "Please listen. Even if you don't think we have our own best interests at heart, surely our parents still do, and if someone's parents want to pull them out if this project, let them talk it over as a family. Don't punish everyone else."

"If you're still really not convinced, maybe you could take a vote and see just how many people are in favor of continuing." Alya agreed. "But I think you'll find that that's most of us."

"Besides, as long as Chloe is here, we're still going to have akuma attacks." Alix scoffed.

Chloe growled at her, and Mr. Kubel murmured a reminder, "Gentle, Alix."

"At a ninety-six-point three percent probability, she's almost certainly right." Max agreed, adjusting his glasses as he looked at his calculator.

Alix stuck her tongue out at Chloe, but before she could say anything more, a voice called from the front door, "Wait, please. I'm so sorry I'm late."

"Ah, Ms. Lê Chiến. Good of you to join us." Mr. Damocles gestured to her with a hand. Kim glared at him, and went to his mother, offering her an arm to help her down the steps. If Mr. Damocles saw the expression, he ignored it. "We were just discussing a vote on continuing the project."

"I vote yes." She told him, "Monday's attack was my fault. I over-reacted to young woman who was just trying to offer me advise in the best way she knew how. After everything Kim has told me about Chloe, I should have given her more of a chance."

She turned to Chloe, "I know there's only a couple of days left of this week, but if you'd like to come back, I'd love to start over, and actually get to know you."

Chloe looked around her, very aware of the attention she was suddenly receiving, and Adrien saw that small intake of breath that meant she was nervous. Her father placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered to her soothingly, "Chloe? You told me last night you wanted the project to succeed, and you wanted a second chance. Is that not still true?"

She nodded, and then produced a wooden box from her bookbag. "Understand that I'm not sorry for the things I said. They needed to be said, but here, I got you this to try and help."

"Thank you." Ms. Lê Chiến replied delicately, her expression slightly pained. Kim elbowed her lightly in the arm and grinned up at her. She wrapped her arm around him and smiled back at Chloe. "I appreciate the thought, and I'm grateful that you accept my apology."

"Not that it was really needed, but you're welcome." Chloe told her. She flipped her hair nonchalantly as she turned back toward Mr. Damocles, but Adrien saw the small pleased smile and the perk of her shoulders. She spared him a glance, searching for approval. He chuckled slightly to himself but gave her a small thumbs-up.

Someone clapped softly beside him. He turned to see Marinette smiling at Chloe. Chloe herself looked startled to receive any praise from Marinette, but her smile became more self-assured, and she turned completely back to Mr. Damocles.

"I don't know what you said to her yesterday," Marinette whispered, standing on her toes and bracing herself with a gentle hand on his chest to reach his ear, "But for her, that was positively kind."

Adrien ignored the chills that ran through him and the part of his brain that told him to put his arms around her in case she wobbled but bent a little closer to her and replied as quietly as he could, "She's really working on it. In this case especially, I don't think she meant to be mean. She was just giving her blunt opinions and didn't realize how they might be misconstrued."

The smile on her face was so genuine, his head swam a little. It's because I'm going to miss her, he told himself. She's a good friend, and I'm going to miss having someone like her to talk to at home.

Marinette rocked back onto her heels and lifted her hand from his chest, raising it up. It took him a minute to see that both of her parents also had their hands up as well. He was missing the vote focusing on her, he realized, and turned back to Mr. Damocles, hand raised.

All the students, and a solid number of parents voted to keep the project going. The ones who hadn't, didn't vote against it, but they did eye each other apprehensively. Mr. Damocles frowned. "I noticed several of you didn't vote at all."

"I think it's because we have concerns." Officer Roger told him. "We want to give our kids the opportunity to learn, but we also want them to be safe."

Looking around at the others who nodded, Adrien realized they were all from families who hadn't hosted a student yet. Alya seemed to have noticed the same thing.

"It's probably wise to have concerns, but, if you're not against the project entirely, maybe we could split off into our pairs and talk it over for a few minutes." She suggested. "That way we can address any concerns and solutions on an individual level."

There was murmured agreement. Mr. Damocles quieted them down one last time, "Very well, we'll keep the project going for now. You all have my e-mail and can let me know any classroom concerns privately. Beyond that, feel free to use the courtyard to talk things over, but I would like the students back in class by next period."

"Well, there you have it." Mr. Dupain smiled at them. "How about we have a cake tonight to celebrate?"

For a moment, for one glorious moment, Adrien forgot he was going home. "That sounds amazing."

A familiar rhythmic clacking, the sound of sensible heels on an uncushioned floor, made him choke. He knew before he turned around, before she even said his name that she was there. "Adrien."

Adrien turned, but before he could speak, Ms. Cheng wrapped a protective arm around his right side, and Mr. Dupain put a hand on his left shoulder, both them trying to draw him away. He looked at them, neither one seemed particularly aggressive, just wary. He smiled, "It's alright, this is my father's assistant, Nathalie Sancoeur. Nathalie, this is Mr. Tom Dupain, and Ms. Sabine Cheng, Marinette's parents."

Nathalie looked at them, a single eyebrow quirked up in distain. She exhaled smoothly, "I am aware. Mr. Agreste had me research the family you would be staying with for safety reasons, Adrien. However, it is good to meet you both in person."

"And you as well." Ms. Cheng held out a hand, her face surprisingly neutral.

Adrien thought he saw the smallest of smiles from Nathalie just before she took Ms. Cheng's hand, but her smiles were so rare that he couldn't be sure. At any rate, she was back to herself again when she turned to him. "Adrien, your father wants to know if you are comfortable continuing this project."

"Yes, I am." He blinked away surprise, "In fact, I want to."

"Very well." She looked back at Marinette's parents, "Then I have some questions for the two of you in regards to next week."

"Wait," He held out a hand. "Are you really saying I can finish the project?"

"Yes." She sighed, "Your father is of the opinion that as long as you are comfortable, and in no real danger, you may continue. He is working off of the assumption that neither attack was truly aimed at you, and neither one would have been anymore avoidable had you been at home. Is he wrong?"

"Not that I know of." Adrien replied. "I think Kim's mother came after me at one point, but I was here at the school. I never even saw her."

"Hm. You will of course call your bodyguard, or me, if that changes?"

"Yes. Of course." He agreed instantly.

"Good." She focused again on Marinette's parents, "Now then, regarding next week. Adrien has a photo shoot for a magazine. In the spirit of the project, Mr. Agreste would like for your daughter, Marinette, to model as well, but as a parent he wanted your permission before he had her photographed or published."

Her parents looked at each other. Mr. Dupain visibly shrugged, uncertain, and his wife frowned. Then she turned to her daughter, "What do you think, Marinette? Would you be comfortable having your picture in a magazine with Adrien?"

Marinette squeaked and nodded. Adrien would've given up half of his anime collection to know her thoughts just then. It looked like she was biting through her lip, and her eyes were the size of saucers.

"Why don't you give them some time to think it over?" Adrien asked. He wanted time to make sure Marinette wasn't just struck silent by Nathalie's demeanor. He looked back at Nathalie. "If they're interested, I can have them call you with her measurements later."

"That sounds reasonable." Nathalie tapped something on her PDA. "Should I expect a call by tomorrow?"

"Yes." Ms. Cheng nodded.

"We can call you when close up for dinner if that's not too late." Mr. Dupain agreed.

"Good. Now one more thing." She looked at Adrien, "There is a festival this weekend that your father plans to attend. We know you are shadowing Marinette, but your father has an announcement to make at fifteen, and he'd like you by his side for it."

"Oh, that is this weekend." Mr. Dupain said in surprise.

Marinette smacked herself in the forehead, "I completely forgot about it. I should ask Alya if she's coming."

"We usually run a small booth of baked goods." Ms. Cheng told Nathalie. She shook her had a little at her family, but she was smiling.

Mr. Dupain took the hint and nodded, "We let Marinette wander the vendors as she likes, as long as she checks in regularly and gives us some idea of where to look for her."

"Will you email me the location of your booth, and your expected arrival time? If Adrien is going to wander with his friends, I'm afraid his bodyguard must be in accompaniment."

"We'll do that." Ms. Cheng replied. "Is there anything else you need from us?"

"Not at this point, but here," She handed Ms. Cheng a card. "My contact information. If at any point next week you're worried about Marinette, you may call me. My phone is always on."

Marinette's parents nodded their thanks, and Nathalie left.

Adrien, still not quite believing that his father would let him continue, turned to Marinette. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say to her, but he knew he needed to say something. Before he could speak, someone caught him around the waist from behind and spun him around. "Dude, lucky break! The project is still on for everybody!"

He turned to Nino and grinned. "That's great, man!"

"Isn't it though?" Alya winked at Marinette.

"Yeah." Marinette chuckled a little and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

Adrien wrapped an arm around Nino's shoulder and smiled at each of them. "Yeah."


	13. A Lie for A Threadbare Secret

Marinette paced around her balcony, running her fingers over the railing as she walked, and peered over it. All the lights were out in the building beneath her. For her parents who had to wake up early to bake, this was normal, but the hour wasn't especially late by a teenager's standards. "Weird."

"What's weird?" Tikki asked her.

"It looks like Adrien is already asleep." Marinette whispered, noting the open window on the third floor.

"Well, you did say you wanted to wait until you hadn't heard him move for a while before you snuck out."

"I know, and it's probably better that he's asleep so he's less likely to notice that I'm gone or hear me return, but his light is usually on later than this when he's at home."

"Maybe it's because your parents have been waking him up early." Tikki shrugged. "But you told Cat Noir you'd meet him for patrol tonight, and if we don't leave soon, we'll be late."

Marinette nodded. She didn't bother climbing back down into her room to transform, but instead gave one last look around for witnesses. "Tikki, Spots On!"

Then she was in motion. It didn't take her long before their meeting place was in sight. Cat Noir was already there, sitting on the opposite railing and facing away from her. She paused. Most patrol nights he heard her approach and came to meet her, so she very rarely got the chance to just look at him. Tonight, he sat with one leg perched up, so he could wrap his arms around it, and let the other leg swing loosely over the city streets. There was an unfamiliar stiffness to his shoulders. She watched them rise and roll back as he breathed in deeply.

She landed as softly as she could on the roof behind him, trying hard not to break his reverie. Cat Noir heard her anyway. He didn't turn, but inclined his head toward her, "Ladybug."

"Everything okay, Kitty?" She watched his ears twitch as she approached him.

"Yes?" He looked back toward the skyline. "No. I'm not sure."

Something about that lost tone resonated with her instincts. "Is it anything I can help with?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

His tone was so sharp she almost retreated a step, "Are you sure?"

"No. Besides, that's not fair. This is something we have to deal with. Something you have every right to know about, but," He shook his head. "But I just don't want to tell you."

"Whatever it is, Cat Noir." She went to him, putting a hand on his elbow. "We can handle it together. Trust me."

"I do, but," He looked at her, flipping his legs around so he could sit facing her, "Do you trust me?"

"Always."

"So, if I tell you something, will you promise me that you won't, no, that's not fair." He sighed, and focused on her feet, "Will you promise me that we can discuss it before you react and that if you're scared or upset, you'll let me handle it?"

He met her gaze once more, "You're my partner, Ladybug, and I promise, I won't let anything bad come from this, but I know how you are about our identities and I don't want anything happening to her either. This wasn't her fault."

Apprehension ripped at her, and she sucked in a breath. "Cat Noir, did someone figure out your secret? Did you tell someone?"

"No."

"Then?"

"I think someone knows yours."

The world tightened and darkened at its edges. Cat Noir leapt to his feet, catching his lady's arms, "Look, I don't actually know that it's true! Okay? I still haven't spoken to her about it. I was going to go right after patrol, and I promise you, Marinette's not bad!"

"What did you just say?"

"Marinette." He swallowed hard. A cold wash of dread oozed over her. Someone had found out her secret and told him. If he was ever brainwashed again, or if his friend was ever akumatized, her family and her friends would all be at risk. He looked away from her, "I said Marinette isn't bad. This isn't even her fault. She hid in a closet at school yesterday, the same one that you transformed in. I saw her sneak in, and I was watching, looking for a way to get her back out. Then I saw you. I don't know how you got in there, but it was only a janitor's closet. There's no way she wouldn't have seen you transform. I'm sorry, Ladybug."

"Wait, Marinette is the one who you think knows my identity?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng." He nodded. "I don't know if you remember her from the Evillustrator, but you sent me to protect her, and since then-"

He looked up at her, pleading. "Since then we've formed a friendship. I saved her from Befana at her birthday party, and she listened to me the night you didn't make it to your surprise. She was the first person I told with any seriousness how I feel about you."

"Oh." She turned away from him and tried to cover her relieved smile with her hand.

"I'm sorry, I know we have to do something," He told her. "But I'm at a loss as to what. I don't want either of you hurt."

"It's okay, Kitty." She turned back to face him and crossed her fingers behind her back. "I know Marinette Dupain-Cheng already knows who I am."

Cat Noir's mouth opened, and pain started to etch itself into his features. She pressed on before he could speak, trying hard to stick to the truth as much as possible. "Do you remember when we fought Stoneheart the second time? When you were fighting his duplicates, and Alya chased after you, filming you for her new blog? One of the copies threw a car at her, and you saved her, but then you were taken. I saw that all of that as a civilian. When she screamed for help, I didn't even think about it, I transformed right there in the middle of the street. Alya must have been too distracted to notice, but her friend, Marinette, wasn't. She saw everything.

"Ever since then," Ladybug looked away from him. She knew it had to be done, but she couldn't look him in the eyes while she lied to him, "Marinette seems to have made a concentrated effort to avoid me, at least while I'm Ladybug. I think she doesn't want her facial expressions to give us away."

"Does she know you, know you?" He asked, stepping closer.

"Sort of. She knew enough to get my number from someone and call me about the Evillustrator after he visited her, but she hasn't called me by name over the phone and you won't really see her talking to me in public." Ladybug shrugged, still not looking at him, "Then again, she did ask me not to be there, so she couldn't accidentally betray me, and she's called me a few times since then to warn me of other attacks she's witnessed, so she must have me saved under something."

"So, if I ever need to get a message to you while you might be trapped in civilian form, I can go through Marinette?" He asked. Startled, she looked up at him. He met her gaze levelly, his mouth set in that familiar, almost smile.

She nodded slowly. "You could do it, but only if you're careful. She's worked so hard to remain anonymous, and I'd hate to ruin that for her now."

"I'll be careful." He promised. Then he tilted his head, a soft echo of the hurt from before dimming his expression, "But I have to ask, if you could have chosen who to tell, would it have been her?"

"I don't know if I can answer that. Marinette hasn't given up my identity, despite her relationship with Alya, and she hasn't been akumatized yet."

"What about the boy you love?"

"He hasn't been akumatized yet either."

"That's good." He turned away from her and walked back to railing, before asking softly, "Will you tell him someday? Like, if you're only ever allowed to tell one more person, would it be him?"

"No." The response was so immediate that it surprised even her. She tested it, carefully finishing the thought aloud, "He's a friend of my civilian identity, and he'll either continue to be my friend or he won't, telling him wouldn't change anything for us."

"How on earth did you come to that conclusion? Of course, things would change." Cat Noir stopped, one hand still on the rail where he'd been about to jump onto it. "Knowing who you're capable of being would have to change how he sees you, at least a little. Wouldn't it?"

"Maybe, but," She shook her head and joined him, hoisting herself up and getting to her feet, "But if something happens, if Hawkmoth defeats us, or if we win and put away our Miraculous, he and I will still know each other regardless of whether or not he ever finds out that I'm Ladybug. I don't actually gain or lose anything by him knowing."

He nodded. "I get it. So, who would you tell then? If you only ever got one person?"

"You."

"What!?" He vaulted up, landing nimbly on the rail not three inches from her. He rose slowly to his feet, and looked down at her, "I thought you didn't want me to know."

"No. It's just dangerous for us to know. If something ever happens to me or happens to you then Hawkmoth doesn't just get one of us, he'll get both. But eventually we'll win this, and when we do, we'll have a decision to make." She took a deep breath, "We'll have to figure out if we want to put away our Miraculous or keep going. And not being Ladybug, if I didn't know who you were, would mean not knowing you anymore. I don't want that. I've never lied to you about my feelings, Cat Noir. You're not just my partner, you really are my friend. And when all is said and done, I don't intend to just give you up."

He grinned broadly, and a light that had nothing to do with the moon or the city lights below them came to life in his eyes. Then he shook his head, and turned away from her, racing to the end of the rail, and leaping into the sky. She let him glide to the next roof before she followed.

Their patrol was a short one, and the silence that reigned between them throughout it, to her at least, felt charged, but neither of them seemed intent on breaking it. When she'd finally had enough and called the patrol to an end just after midnight, he was smiling again. He jerked his head toward her usual route home, "I'll wait for you first."

"What?"

He laughed, "Sorry, I'll wait for you to leave first. I'm not staying at home tonight, so I'll wait until you're gone before I get out of here to make sure we're not heading in the same direction."

"Oh."

"Mi'lady?" He called. She turned to look at him, "Thank you. Your friendship means a lot to me too. And I promise I'll be careful with Marinette."

She smiled at him once last time and took off running. When she got home, she landed lightly through her open skylight, and de-transformed.

"That was really quick thinking, Marinette!" Tikki cheered. "And now, Cat Noir won't be suspicious when he realizes you're not where you're supposed to be. He'll think it's something you've intentionally done as Marinette."

"Thanks, Tikki." She stood up, and pulled the skylight closed. "I just wish I didn't have to lie to him."

"I'm sure he'd understand." Tikki replied, "After all, Cat Noir has an identity to protect too."

Marinette nodded, and settled into bed, clutching her pillow to her. She frowned at her kwami. "Tikki?"

"Yes?"

"Was I right? Do you think Cat Noir and I will ever get the chance to be friends on this side of the mask?"

"Absolutely." Tikki nodded. "It's too dangerous right now with Hawkmoth still in power, but I have faith in you, Marinette. One day, you'll have a chance to see Cat Noir for exactly who he is."

"Thanks, Tikki. I'm glad at least that part wasn't a lie."

A shadow streaked across the skylight. Tikki habitually darted away, although the likely hood of the shadow being anything more than bird wasn't high. Marinette was just about to call her back before someone knocked very lightly on the window above her. Looking up, she saw no one, but when she climbed back out on her balcony, she found Cat Noir.

He smiled at her, "I hope I didn't wake you, purrincess."

"Not at all. I was having trouble sleeping."

"Good. Well, not good, but I'm glad it wasn't me." He gestured to the patio furniture, "Do you mind if we talk for a bit?"

"Not at all. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." He tilted his head, a smile playing at his mouth. "I, um, I saw you hid in a closet yesterday, and then I saw Ladybug come out of it."

"Okay." She answered carefully.

"So you have an idea of who she is?"

"Are you asking me to tell you," She couldn't keep her cheeks from heating or the anger out of her voice. He was not really doing this.

"No!" He interrupted, holding up both of his hands, "No, please don't. It's just, you can call her when there's trouble, and she says that you're trustworthy."

When she only frowned at him, he sighed, "I can see how useful that would be, if she's ever stuck in her civilian identity, you'd know it, and could come up with a way to warn me. It also means that you can give her a message from me if we ever can't transform."

"But I don't know who you are." Marinette objected.

"I know. And I can't tell you because if the worst happens than-" He stopped and frowned hard, ears twitching oddly. "Who's downstairs?"

"Uh, my parents. And Adrien, Adrien Agreste."

"The model? Is he a friend of yours?" Cat Noir stalked toward her skylight, "Do you trust him?"

"I do. He's-"

"Good." He turned and smiled at her, "I'll tell Ladybug about him then, and see if she likes him too."

"What!?"

"Look, Ladybug told me that you know how to reach her civilian form. I don't want to know who she is yet, because she's right, it's dangerous for both of us. But now that I know you know, I know to protect you better than I have. I also know that you'll tell me, if you can, when you notice that Ladybug is stuck in civilian form. The more I think about it, the more useful that seems, to have a way to contact each other's civilian forms even if it's going through other people.

"So, I'd like to have someone too, and before you say anything, I'm sorry, Marinette, but it can't be you. If the worst should happen and we fail to protect you from Hawkmoth, having one identity is bad enough, but having two would be, well," He winked. "Cat-a-strophic. So, I need someone different. Someone who I can trust to tell my secret to, that you would feel comfortable talking to and being seen with."

"And you want Adrien Agreste to be that person for you?"

"Well, yeah. You said you trust him, right?" Cat Noir's grin was positively victorious.

"I trust him, but," She shook her head, trying to process exactly what he was saying. This plan seemed so phenomenally stupid to her, risky for her beloved, and actually dangerous for her partner.

"But?" His tone was so incredulous she had to look at him. He shook off his surprise, frowning at her, "But what?"

"You can't, Cat Noir!" She crossed her arms around herself, "What happens to him if someone figures out that he knows? And what happens to you if Adrien gets taken? Or slips up?"

"Slips up?"

"Yes. If something happened with Adrien, the worst as you call it, I wouldn't think twice about forgiving him, but if something happened to you, because I said it was okay. I," She shook her head again, "Please don't make me responsible for that, and please don't put that on him."

"So, even though he's never been akumatized before, and you call him your friend, you don't actually think he's that trustworthy after all." His voice was soft. He looked at her.

"No! That's not it all," She insisted, steeping closer to him, "I'd trust Adrien with my life. If he grabbed my hand and told me to run, I'd do it an instant without looking back. It's just, there's a difference between trusting him with my life and,"

"And?"

She took a deep breath, "Trusting him with yours."

"Wait," He asked, "So this is because you care about _me_?"

"Of course, I do. You said it yourself: you're my friend, Cat Noir." She released one of her hands to place it on his arm, right beneath his elbow, "I wouldn't lie to you about that."

His shoulders straightened, his chest almost puffing out as he grinned down at her, obviously pleased, "Then I think I'm actually flattered."

She snorted, and his grin grew sillier. "No, I really wouldn't have thought you'd have known me well enough to care that much, but I'm paw-sitively flattered."

"Calm down, Kitty." She teased without thinking about it, "It's just that I'm not willing to let anything happen to you on my account. Don't let it go to your head."

"Too late, my princess!" He laughed, "My ego will never be the same again."

What struck them both as being so funny about that, Marinette couldn't say, but they laughed hard. When they'd calmed down a little, he reached forward and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "Please think it over, Marinette. I can appreciate you not wanting me or the model Agreste in any extra danger, I'm learning that's part of who you are, but I really would like a civilian secret keeper of my own, and your approval of them is important to me."

"I'll think about it." She replied, looking away. "Will you at least talk to Ladybug, and see what she has to say?"

"Of course. Dormez bien, purrincess." And with that he leapt to the rail, held out his arms in a display, and fell backward toward the ground.

Marinette shook her head and giggled softly at his flashy exit. She took her time walking over to the edge of her balcony, and when she peered over it, all the lights were still out in the building beneath her, and Cat Noir was gone.

Then something struck her as odd. "Tikki?"

"I'm here, Marinette."

"Did you hear Cat Noir what said just now?"

"You mean about finding a civilian secret keeper?"

"No. I'll talk him out of that as Ladybug. I mean, when he said he thought I didn't know him well enough to care about him like that."

Tikki frowned at her, "What about it?"

"He told me tonight how much Marinette means to him, but just now, he claimed he thought I didn't know him very well." She looked her Kwami, "Do we already know each other as civilians?"

"You know I can't answer that, Marinette. It wouldn't be fair to Cat Noir."

"Right." Marinette took one last look at the building beneath her and turned away. What she failed to notice for the second time, was that the open window had been closed.


	14. Early Morning Bake

**Quick couple of notes:** **First, I am incredibly sorry at the length of time I have taken on this/these chapter(s). (Side note: The next chapter has actually been written, but I need time to go over it and edit. So look for it later today, maybe tomorrow.) I usually try to get chapters out weekly or every other week at worst, so I realize that getting to week three with no chapter is extremely unprofessional on my part and can be very disheartening for the reader. Unfortunately, with two cons, potential wisdom teeth removal, and my sister's birthday all coming up, that's bound to get worse before it gets better. Still, I promise even with these delays, this story is not on hold and I am working on things, albeit probably at a slower pace. Please bare with me.**

 **Second, a _spoiler_ that I'd like to address since I've had a couple of PMs and at least one review about it: the Creators of Miraculous have stated that Marinette and Adrien are both capable of being akumatized, it's just unlikely. I am sorry if you heard differently elsewhere, I know that's frustrating. However, I am trying to keep as cannon as I can with this piece, (Writing alongside of season two makes that difficult, but I am trying.) so I am taking things like spoilers and WOG into account when I can.**

 **Thank you for your understanding on these matters, and as always, I really appreciate your comments and concerns, and I hope you enjoy the story.**

 **-SG**

* * *

Adrien was awoken at five thirty on Saturday morning by Mr. Dupain sneaking a yogurt from the fridge. When he made to get up, blurry-eyed and yawning, he was told it wasn't time yet and he should go ahead and catch the extra sleep if he could. Ms. Cheng would come wake him and Marinette when they were needed. Adrien nodded without comment and went back to sleep. Half an hour later, Ms. Cheng woke him with a bierock and coco for breakfast and apologized again for the necessity.

Last night, she and Mr. Dupain had explained that they liked to do their all-day catering events, like the street fair, by prepping their dishes the night before, but waiting until the next morning actually bake them. This meant their pastries stayed fresher longer, but it also meant getting up early to do all the work at once instead of doing extra bakes throughout the day as they needed. It also meant that ever since Marinette had gotten old enough to start volunteering to help, her parents had turned early morning bakes into an all-hands on deck affair for the Dupain-Cheng family.

Last night, Adrien had been excited about the prospect of being included in another family event. This morning, he was groggy. The only thing that stopped him from feeling selfishly inadequate and spoiled was that the smile Marinette greeted him with was just as tired as his own.

Together, they were herded downstairs still in their pjs with their hands full of breakfast. When they reached the bakery, they were encouraged to eat quickly so they could get to work. Mr. Dupain was pulling things from the oven, Adrien and Marinette were asked to box the food, trading out baking dishes for disposable ones as needed, and Ms. Cheng would price it and pack it all away.

While he scarfed down his bierock, Ms. Cheng explained that the other part of his and Marinette's job would be looking for any damaged goods that Mr. Dupain had missed, broken cookies or chipped pie crusts. "Some of them will be fine. When you work with breads that flake, little cracks and chips are pretty natural, but if the damage is too bad, we like to put them in the bottom and sell them at a reduced price when we have run out of the others. And anything you see that's just an absolute mess, we'll put aside to eat here, or give to you and Marinette for lunch. Okay? If you have any questions, just ask Marinette. You'll show him the ropes won't you, honey?"

"Of course." Her natural cheer mixed with her drowsy state gave her voice a dreamlike quality, that both warmed Adrien and made him chuckle. She blushed, "Sorry, I'll finish waking you up soon. Ah! I mean, finish waking up for you soon, I mean!"

"That you'll be coherent enough to explain to me what you mean soon?" He teased, grabbing the first pie and peeling it out of its plate.

This brightened her blush, but she giggled and got the next one.

They worked in tandem without words for a time, and Adrien found himself gradually melting into the ambience of bakery. It was warm without being stifling thanks to the back door being propped open by a hard-working fan. A small radio set to a local pop station cut into the maddening scrapes of Mr. Dupain's paddle in the oven, the clicks of the fan, and the scratches of carboard, and ceramic on the countertops just enough to make those sounds soothing. The thing he enjoyed most though, was Marinette's proximity, and the way her arm would occasionally brush against his as they worked.

He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel closer to her after Thursday night. She had Ladybug's trust, and by extension she had his. Even better, he now had an excuse for all the protective energies she seemed to pull from him lately. The only thing left to do was to get her to trust Adrien as much as she did Cat Noir. Realistically, he had forever to do this, but he also knew that this next week would be his best shot at it. It was such a perfect way to protect her in both forms without Ladybug or Marinette ever being the wiser.

"In a country far away from here, in search of paradise," Marinette sang, joining with the voice on the radio and swaying a little to the tune. She faltered when Adrien looked over at her. Then he realized he had been humming along to the music with her and had only stopped when she'd surprised him by switching over to singing.

He smiled and picked up the end of the chorus, the only part he really knew. "In a country far from here, we sing."

She was mostly in tune when she started again. Her voice was a natural sounding mid-range, not high like his mother's, nor did she have any vibrato like Chole, who'd been very well trained from a young age. Rather, she sang like girls who sang at campfires and on road trips. She even lost the pitch completely to laughter when her dad tried to join in, mumbling his way through a verse then bursting loudly and very off-key into the next chorus to make up for it.

When Mr. Dupain had pulled his last tray from the oven, he moved to helping his wife price and pack. It wasn't long after that they were ready to load up their vehicle with the first carload, and Adrien was told that while Marinette's parents drove to the fair and started setting up, he and Marinette would have about half an hour to shower and dress. Then one of them would come back for the second load and the two of them.

He raced Marinette to the top of the stairs. She won, but relinquished the shower to him, reminding him that she'd showered last night before bed. When she'd closed to the door to her room, Plagg popped out of his hiding place.

"So, was the singing together part of your new plan to get her to trust you, or was that just something for you?"

"That was just something, I mean," Adrien shook his head, "I don't mean it like that. We were all singing, okay? It's probably a family thing for them."

"Okay. So then what's the new plan for winning her love? Because yesterday was spectacularly uneventful."

"I'm not trying to win her love, Plagg! I'm trying to gain her trust, and of course, I didn't do anything yesterday. It was too soon, and I didn't have a good reason too. Marinette's pretty smart, if I rush this, or suddenly start acting out of character, she'll figure out something is up."

"So, the plan is just give up then? I like this plan."

"No. The plan is to learn one of her secrets or find out something that she likes and give it to her in a way that no one else notices except her." Adrien gathered his clothes for the day and headed the bathroom. "But I need to do this in a way that isn't out of character for Adrien. That's why I start today. Yesterday was basically just a usual class day, but today I can use the fair and that fact that I'm following her to my advantage."

"How?"

"I don't know yet. I'm going to see what opportunities come up and take advantage of them if I can."

"And if nothing comes up?"

"Then I'll just have to make few." He grinned at his kwami, "But I'm not giving up, Plagg. This is just too perfect. I can keep Marinette safe in both of my guises, and I'll have a way to reach Ladybug even if I'm stuck as Adrien because she'll know to come to me for Cat Noir."

"Are you sure you don't just wanna be near the girl your mind goes to when it wanders?"

Adrien shook his head, "I'm not falling for that. Not today."

And he closed the bathroom door on his kwami. It didn't take him long to shower and prepare for the day. His chosen outfit of leather sandals, a loose black tank top, and belted, green, knee-length shorts, was one his father would approve of, even if he wouldn't be particularly enthusiastic about it. When he emerged from the bathroom, he slid a cardboard shell into the lower side pocket of his shorts so Plagg could relax comfortably in there without the pocket collapsing around him. He then slid a container of camembert in the same pocket on the other side.

He checked his phone for time just as he heard Marinette open her door. "Your mom should be back soon, are you ready?"

"I'm ready."

He made to smile up at her and froze. She was ethereal, and he had to swallow past a sudden lump in his throat to croak out, "That's a very pretty dress."

"Thanks." She smoothed it out with her hands and glided down to him. "I made it myself."

It was a blue sun dress with an asymmetrical lower hem, wide white lace straps, and an empire waistline accented at the top and bottom by pink cherry blossoms. When she reached him, she attempted to twirl her toes. The dress flared around her, but she lost her balance.

He caught her without thinking. She turned bright red, but before either of them could say anything more, the living room door opened, and Ms. Cheng smiled in at them. "Hey sweetie, oh, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just tripped while I was trying to show Adrien my dress."

"Oh okay. Well, your dad is all set up at the booth, and said we could take our time, but I still think we should hurry. I hate leaving him there by himself. Plus, I think Ms. Sancoeur intends to meet us there so Adrien's bodyguard can chaperone the two of you today, and I don't want to keep her waiting."

"Right!" Marinette pulled out of his arms and pranced off behind her mother. Adrien waited until they were just out of sight, and then checked on Plagg in his prepared pocket. His kwami winked at him, causing Adrien to roll his eyes before hurrying to catch up with Marinette.

At the fairgrounds, Nathalie was indeed waiting for them. She questioned Marinette and him about their intentions for the day, while he and the Gorilla helped the Dupain-Chengs unload their car. Then she had Adrien set an alarm for his father's speech, noting that although his bodyguard would be with them, he should also always keep an eye on his own obligations.

Once she left, Ms. Cheng turned to the teenagers. "You should probably set an alarm too, Marinette. You and Adrien are supposed to be partners for these two weeks, so you should really be looking after each other."

"Right, mom." Marinette pulled her phone out of the tiny pocketbook she'd thrown across one shoulder.

"Adrien." Mr. Dupain handed him one of the two small bags full of cookies he held. "Thank you for all your hard work this morning. We want you and Marinette to drop by periodically to check in. It doesn't have to be any specific time, but just every once in a while so we know you're okay. Also, we have lunch for you both here, so you shouldn't have to spend your money on food unless you just want too."

"Oh! thank you, sir."

Mr. Dupain nodded and handed his daughter the other bag. "Marinette, thank you sweetie, and if you two want to bring some friends back for lunch, we'll see what we can spare for them. Okay?"

"Thanks, dad." She hugged him, and took the bag, smiling down at her pocketbook as she put both the cookies and her phone away.

"Uh, and thank you too, sir." Mr. Dupain offered the Gorilla a croissant which he accepted and ate without comment.

Ms. Cheng touched her daughter lightly on the shoulder to get her attention and then gave her directions to what sounded like a specific booth. "We're right on time for the fair opening, but it's still early, so I doubt any of your friends will be there yet."

"That's okay, I'm usually the first here besides maybe Mylene with her dad's troupe." She squeezed her mother's hand. "Thanks for scooping it out."

Ms. Cheng smiled at Adrien and brushed a little hair gently away from his eyes. "I know you're supposed to have your bodyguard, but look after each other too, and the girls, and have fun today. Okay?"

"We will. Thank you, ma'am."

Marinette turned to him with an excited smile and offered him her hand, "Are you ready?"

"Sure." He took it and she dashed away, pulling him with her.

For a moment, he was unsure of himself, but Marinette seemed to know exactly what she wanted, and he followed that instinct. Then a sense of freedom hit him, and he was running alongside of her, still not really knowing where they were going, but not caring anymore either. The important thing was that it was just the two of them and it was bound to be an adventure.

Suddenly Marinette drew up short, and he nearly crashed into her. He saved it by grabbing her around the waist and dropping his shoulder, half pulling her around him so if they hit the ground, she at least wouldn't be on bottom. She squeaked and grabbed a hold of the arm that held her. He caught himself on his back foot, and for tense few seconds he thought he might still go over, but then he managed to rock forward again, setting Marinette to her feet.

He was laughing with exhilaration when he released her. "Sorry Marinette! Are you okay?"

"Oh no! I mean yes! I mean, I fine, I just," She was blushing hard, and pointed to something behind him, "I'm so sorry, Adrien! I just stopped because I saw Alya and Rose!"

He turned to see Rose openly gaping at him, and Alya laughing. "That was totally ninja, Adrien! Nice save!"

"Thanks, Alya." He accepted her high five, and nodded to her russet and gold, gathered sundress, "Nice dress. And you too, Rose."

"Oh thanks!" She squeaked, smoothing out the pink and white babydoll dress. She turned a little toward Marinette but still darted looks at Adrien. "Have you found it yet?"

Adrien noted the red mark around Alya's wrist as if she'd been pulled along by Rose much the same way that Marinette had pulled him.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Marinette, still bright red, nodded, "Mom found it for me, according to her it should be up this isle and on the left."

Alya shook her head and turned to him, "So, Adrien, are you excited for the flower crowns too?"

"Flower crowns?"

"Yeah, the flower crowns!" Rose chirped, dancing a little in place. "We get them every year. We always meet at their booth, and we all get crowns that match our dresses. They come in all colors with ribbons and they're so pretty!"

"Mylene is probably already there, so we should hurry," Marinette turned back him, and flushed brighter. "Um."

He grinned and offered her his hand. "We better hurry."

"Right!"

Rose grabbed his other hand. "Let's go!"

It didn't take long for their chain of hands to break as they dashed forward together, but Adrien kept a hold of Marinette. He slowed when Rose tagged an over-sized awning and turned back to giggle at the rest of them. Inside it, he saw swirl racks that held flowered hair ornaments of all shapes, sizes and colors. Mylene, as color incarnate in a tie-dye sundress with her multi-colored locks already pinned back by a crown of rainbow flowers, greeted them, leading Sabrina.

Adrien wasn't shocked to find out that the proprietor knew most of the girls by name. She had even already reserved matching rosebud crowns for Rose and Juleka, one pink with baby's breath, and the other purple with lavender. She found a forget-me-not crown for Marinette, and one made of trimmed and waxed autumn leaves for Alya. Sabrina gave her the most trouble, but in the end, she even managed to find a crown that matched Sabrina's plaid skirt.

"So," Alya started, "We're just waiting for Juleka, right? Because Alix said she and Max weren't rolling in until about ten, so she'd drop by here later on her own."

"Juleka says her mom moored a little farther from the fair this year, but she, Ivan and Luka are here." Rose read off her phone.

"Awesome. So, what do we do after this?" Alya frowned suddenly at Marinette. "What are doing? I thought you'd already bought yours."

Marinette looked up from the crown of green and black dyed flowers she's been giggling at in her hands, "What? Oh sorry, I just realized something funny."

"What?" Alya looked from the crown to Adrien. Then she smirked, "That it would match someone special?"

"Yeah," Marinette burst out laughing, "It kind of matches Cat Noir, don't you think?"

Adrien started, but Alya beat him to the punch, "Cat Noir!? You seriously think that Cat Noir would wear a flower crown?"

"Well yeah," Her smile softened as she looked at the crown again. "He's very playful, isn't he? I'll bet he'd be pretty sweet about it if someone gave it to him."

"I'm sure he would too." Adrien chimed in, unable to resist her expression. "I mean, if someone gave me a crown like that, I'd probably wear it."

Alya snorted and traded looks with a couple of the girls before taking the crown from Marinette. She paid for it and passed it to Adrien. "But if you see Cat Noir, you have to give up to him. Deal?"

"Yeah, of course." He laughed. He struck a pose when he put it on, making girls giggle.

"Oh my god, you really could almost pass." Alya shook her head, "You just need to flirt a little more and a little harder."

"Could almost pass," Asked a hesitant, feminine voice from behind him, "For what?"

"I don't know, but I like it." Replied low, smooth voice.

Adrien whirled around to find Ivan, Juleka, and Luka stand together just outside the tent. Ivan seemed taken back, Juleka looked curious and maybe a little amused, but Luka had an almost intimate, Cheshire cat grin on his face. Adrien pointed at the crown, "Marinette found it."

"Oh?" His eyes alit with interest, "Do you think you could find me one too, Mama-Marinette?"

* * *

 **P.S. For the curious, the song playing in the bakery is a real song, "** **Loin d'ici" by ZOË. I hunted down French pop songs until I found one that I felt like would fit, and put the chorus in a translator. I don't own it, but I do highly recommend you go listen to it. It's very fun.**


	15. Sprinting Through the Fair

Marinette flushed at Luka's teasing, but found him a ribbon less, dark purple and indigo crown. He accepted it gracefully, his fingers brushing along hers as he took it from her. He bought it along with his sister's.

Behind him, Ivan frowned at Mylene. "Do you want me to wear one too?"

"Only if you want to." She replied, smiling up at him.

He shook his head, "Nah."

"Okay, for real now, what's next?" Alya asked, wrapping an arm around Marinette and leading her outside.

Marinette shrugged, "I'm open to ideas."

"Jagged Stone is supposed to be here somewhere signing autographs." With his hands in his pockets, Luka moved to stand behind Adrien. He leaned forward a little and rested his chin on Adrien's shoulder. Then he mirrored Marinette's shrug. "I'd be interested in that."

"Nino said he is face painting with Nathaniel today." Adrien suggested, smiling first at Luka and then at them. "I doubt father would like it if I showed up to his speech with cat whiskers, but I would love to try having my face painted after that. It always looked kinda fun."

"Oh, let's do that! Nath is really best, and we can get rainbows and fairies!" Rose cheered, "Oh! And, there's an exotic cotton candy booth that Alya and I saw on the way in! We have to try it! I can almost taste it now!"

Juleka nodded and wrapped her arms around Rose from behind. "Me too."

"Does anyone remember the rock mining booth from last year?" Marinette asked, "I would like to try it this year, if they have it again and we have time. It seems like it might be a fun group activity."

"They have it. It's right near my dad's stage." Mylene nodded, "But they won't be set up until noon."

"Okay, Adrien, when is your father's speech?" Alya asked.

"It's at fifteen, but it shouldn't take more than about twenty minutes."

"Awesome. Mylene, when are your dad's performances?"

"Um, ten to eleven, thirteen to fourteen, sixteen to seventeen, and the last one is nineteen to twenty, so they have about an hour to break down before the fireworks." Mylene counted off on her fingers.

"Okay, so here's the plan." Alya said, stepping into the middle. "We window shop our way to Jagged Stone, grab some exotic cotton candy on the way or when we're done, as a sort of whenever we get peck-ish."

"Oh, speaking of peck-ish, we can stop by mom and dad's booth for lunch." Marinette interjected.

Alya nodded, "Right, we'll go to Marinette's parents for lunch at noon, and then head over to Mylene's dad's stage to support him at his thirteen show. Then we'll have some time to window shop some more, maybe scope out where Nino and Nathaniel are before Adrien has to leave for his dad's speech."

"There's probably a dancing area, there always is. If we can find it, we can boogie there while we wait Adrien." Mylene chimed in.

Alya nodded, "Scope out Nino, Nathaniel and dancing, boogie while we wait for Adrien, and then get our faces painted. After that, we'll check out the mining and anything else we ran across during our window shopping and thought might be interesting. We'll go buy food from Marinette's parents for dinner, maybe catch Mylene's father's late show. Then we can dance some more before the fireworks. Thoughts?"

Everyone agreed that they liked the plan. Adrien's bodyguard emerged from the booth as they started to leave. He was wearing his usual gruff expression, but it was slightly offset by the blue and gray crown of tiny flowers he wore. He groaned at their laughter, but as the morning drew on, Marinette realized the brilliance of his purchase. Since everyone but Ivan had crowns of their own, he looked more like the weary parent of one of the teenagers than some strange stalker following their every move.

Jagged wasn't hard to find, and Penny assured them time to talk to him as they waited in line. When they got up to him, he hugged Marinette, and posed for a photo with all of them which Penny took with Alya's phone. As Penny was returning the phone, it chimed.

Alya read off the screen. "It's Alix. She says she and Max left the flower crown place and are wondering where we are. They're currently at the dance square, same place it was three years ago, near the hill that they'll shoot the fireworks off from."

"Oh, I know where that is. We should head down that cross aisle." Marinette pointed at which stall she wanted to turn at. "It'll intersect with a main aisle that spans up the right side of the fair. We'll get there in no time."

"The main center aisle is straighter." Juleka murmured looking doubtfully at Marinette.

"Juleka's right, the center aisle will take us straight there, and it's way wider." Rose agreed.

"The center aisle will be really busy, that's why they make it so wide." Marinette replied. "We won't be able to go as fast because we'll have to focus on staying together."

"I agree, but the aisle that runs straight up the side is actually over there, it runs up what will be our left, not our right." Mylene told her.

"No, it doesn't. It runs up the right."

"You've got no since of direction, Marinette." Mylene shook her head, "It goes right past my dad's stage."

"Wait, where is your dad's stage?"

Mylene pointed emphatically. "That way."

"But it's not gonna be the faster way. It's another main aisle, so it's not going to be any less busy than the center." Rose objected.

"Hey, Mylene knows what she's talking about." Sabrina countered, and Ivan nodded.

"Guys, Alix is waiting." Alya took a few steps away from them up the center aisle and turned to address the group. "So, there's only one thing to do. Ivan, Sabrina, you two think Mylene is right?"

"She is!" Sabrina insisted. Ivan nodded again.

"And Rose, you and Juleka, think we should go this way?"

They both nodded.

"Marinette?"

"I'm not wrong about this, Alya."

"Okay. Adrien? Are you sticking with your partner?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Me too. So," She began to walk backward, "One. Two. Three!"

She pirouetted and sprinted down the center aisle. Marinette heard the collective gasp and the giggles start but wasted no time herself. She darted away, begging excuses of the people she dodged around. She turned up the aisle she'd gestured too before, and sped up, laughing as she did so.

It was an easy run. There weren't too many people on this side of the fair yet, and those that were here moved out of her way when they heard her coming. She kept an eye on the ground in front of her, leaping potholes and avoiding big rocks with her soft soled shoes.

"Marinette!" She stumbled at the sound of her mother's voice, but recovered.

She looked up and waved, but didn't slow, "I'm okay, I just have to beat Mylene and Alya to Alix, I'll see you later!"

"No! Look out!"

A booth was jutting out into the street just in front of her. Her brain raced, telling her to move, to adjust her course, but it was so busy telling her what to do that her body couldn't seem to comply. An arm linked with hers, and Adrien pulled her in his direction, out of the way of the booth. "Don't worry, I've got you, Mi'lady!"

There should have been a moment when they were running like that, at that speed, and he pulled her to him, that their legs intertwined and got tangled, that they hit the ground. Him pulling her like that should have brought them both down. But it didn't. It was like they knew somehow exactly how to compensate for each other, so even though they both almost paused for that moment, it never came. They were still running.

Adrien let out whoop, and Marinette laughed, and they both sped up again. She leaped over another pothole, still holding his hand, and her crown came off, flying behind them. "Adrien!"

They started to slow, looking back, but Luka was already there, scooping it up and shouting, "Don't slow down!"

Adrien looked at Marinette, swept off his own crown, and they were off again.

In the end, Marinette had been wrong, this aisle didn't run the length of the fair, but it didn't matter. She and Adrien still reached Alix first.

He let her go as they got close, and she ran to Alix, grabbing a hold of her, and spinning her around. Alix gasped, and caught her. "Whoa!"

"First!" Adrien laughed.

"Wow!" Mylene trotted up to them. "I'm sorry Marinette, I guess there are three aisles then. I shouldn't have doubted you."

"No, you totally should've. That's not a complete aisle, she's just fast." Luka gasped behind them, hands on his knees. "She is _really_ fast. They both are. And apparently, they've got the endurance to match."

"Sorry, Luka," Adrien rubbed at his shoulder, but he was still chuckling. He took a step forward, and offered Luka a hand.

Luka snorted, then straightened, his eyes locked with Adrien's. "Don't be. Stamina like that has its uses."

"Holy cow, you were not kidding about the center aisle. There is no running at all, and in one of the only spaces we thought we had, we got fussed at by Sabrina's dad to slow down!" Alya told them as she, Juleka and Rose strolled up.

"Sorry Alya, I should have warned you that they don't like it when you run in the busier aisles. They won't really stop kids on the slower ones, or outside the stalls, but there are a few places they patrol for safety." Sabrina replied, and Mylene nodded.

"No worries," Alya shook it off, "I knew Marinette's aisle didn't actually span the length of the fair because Rose and I were on it earlier but notice I didn't say anything either."

"Alya!"

"Sorry, girl, but it was a competition." Alya frowned her, "Did you lose something, Marinette?"

"No. I have it." Luka replied, holding up her crown. "Speaking of which,"

He moved to stand before her and used both hands to settle it back on her head, "You should never go long without your crown, princess."

Marinette froze, starring at him wide eyed. She couldn't help it. It was the inflection in his voice when he called her princess. It was that knowing smile, that for a moment matched her green-eyed cat's exactly. She tried to shake it off, but the feeling persisted. True, he looked nothing like her partner, who had golden hair and tawny skin, but there was no telling how much his own Miraculous could change his appearance.

Hadn't he teased her this morning? Calling her Mama-Marinette the same way he called her Bugaboo? And he was already friends with Adrien, a boy he knew was in her class and knew would have reasons to talk to her. And perhaps, most condemningly, he had once stayed behind so she could escape, in a similar self-sacrifice to the kind Cat Noir was always making.

Although in theory, that same self-sacrifice had left him trapped in the bottom of Captain Hardrock's boat when Cat Noir had been at her side. She relented and relaxed, smiling. "Thanks, Luka."

Behind him, Adrien winked at her, and donned his own crown once more.

"So, are we good then?" Alix asked, one hand on her hip. "Nobody wants to explain what just happened?"

"We were racing to you to see who could navigate the fair best." Alya replied.

"I hope you used the aisle to our right," Max pointed to the way Mylene, Sabrina and Ivan had come. "Although I can extrapolate from your arrival times and statements that most of you didn't."

Marinette turned to the two of them and wasn't surprised to find that Alix had forgone the dress again this year. Instead, she wore a cream-colored peasant blouse, and tight, crimson, knee-length shorts that paired with her crown of alternating cream and crimson rosebuds made her look like something between a princess in disguise, and a lost boy from Neverland.

Max, interestingly enough, wore a daisy crown of his own. He frowned at her when he realized what she was looking at. "Alix bought it, and insisted I wear it. When she pointed out that we're partners, and I am supposed to be experiencing life as she does, at least to the degree of which I am capable, I had to agree."

"Hey, if I have to wear one, so does he."

"I have to admit though, I am pleased to see that I'm not the only guy wearing one, and that Adrien appears to be taking this experiment just as seriously as I am." Max said, nodding to Adrien before throwing a frown at Ivan. Ivan mere raised his eyebrows at him.

Adrien held up his hands, "Actually, I'm wearing it because Marinette found one I liked, and Alya bought it for me. No one forced me into it."

"Same." Luka nodded.

"Oh." Max sighed. "Still. It's nice not to be alone."

"Right?" Alix nudged him with her shoulder. "So, what's next?"

"Unless you've got something in particular in mind, not much," Alya shrugged, "I think it's mostly just going to be exploring until lunch."

Behind them, Adrien's bodyguard sighed in relief.

For lunch, Marientte found herself sitting between Alya and Luka, with Adrien on Luka's other side. Their conversation was light and friendly, except for Sabrina who kept stumbling over her words whenever she tried to talk to Luka.

That's when it struck her, "Sabrina."

"Yes, Marinette?"

"I totally didn't ask, but is there anything in particular that you've seen and want to do later?"

"Oh no, I'm okay. Chole usually picks whatever we do at fairs, so I'm used to it."

"Just because you're use to it doesn't make it right." Luka told her quietly. The others nodded.

Adrien offered her one of his cookies. "We've all had a say in what we're doing today, Sabrina. It's only fair that you get to pick something too."

"Well, there a used bookstall that's been here the last couple of years running that I've kinda, maybe, always wanted to visit? But Chloe never wanted too." She refused to look at any of them, and instead focused on her toes.

"Do you mean Madam Marckle's?" Max asked, adjusting his glasses. "Because I have been there once or twice myself and it's quite the experience. It's one of my favorite stalls."

Sabrina nodded.

"Okay, so suggested addition to the plan, after we do the rock mining, we'll visit Madam Marckle's. That way we don't have to worry about what to with our books while we're playing in the water. Cool?" Alya asked.

"I like it." Mylene agreed.

"Me too." Adrien, Marinette, and several others nodded.

"Motion passes. Sabrina, Max, we'll stop by your bookstore after rock mining and before Mr. Haprèle's late show."

"Actually Sabrina, if it's not too far from the dance square," Max looked at her, "You and I could go while the others are occupied and see if there's any must haves we can put on hold."

"Sounds good." Alya got to her feet, "But let's get moving so we can get good seats at the show."

The others followed suit, carrying took their lunch remains to nearest receptacle, when someone behind them shouted, "Hey Adrien! Adrien Agreste!"

"No, don't do that! He hates it when you do that!" Someone else insisted.

They all turned to look, and Marinette recognized the second speaker. She couldn't remember his name, but he'd spent the day hunting her and Adrien on their way to the movies.

Adrien waved to him, "Hey Wayhem, how are you?"

"I'm good. I'm really sorry about that, Adrien." He replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's alright, man." Adrien looked over Wayhem's completely shocked friends, and Marinette was impressed by how he addressed them, "But he's right, you know. It's a little weird to have people you don't really know screaming your name like that on a causal outing. It's much easier if you just come up and talk to me. I can't promise I'll always have time for a long conversation, but I try to at least acknowledge everyone."

"See, I told you that I knew him and that he's a pretty great guy." Wayhem grinned triumphantly at his friends. Then he turned back to Adrien.

"Anyway, we're really sorry for interrupting your day with all your friends, but I like your flowers." He paused and looked past Adrien at Marinette, "Did your girlfriend buy them for you?"

"Huh? Oh no, my friend, Alya, did." Adrien replied, smiling.

Marinette felt her cheeks heat, as she focused on Adrien, unable to correct him. Alya had no such difficulties. To a background of snickers and gentle coughs from their friends, Alya introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Alya, the not girlfriend. Well, not _his_ girlfriend anyway."

Adrien frowned at her, and then dawning hit him and he blushed faintly. "Oh sorry, Marinette. Wayhem, Marinette's not actually my girlfriend, she's just a really good friend of mine I was going to the movies with. But, I understood who you meant, and she's also not the friend who bought this for me."

"Adrien." Ivan tapped his wrist when Adrien looked at him.

"Right. We're off to see the Mime's show. You and your friends are welcome to join us."

"That'd be awesome!"

The enlarged group set off toward the stage, stopping only once for the cotton candy Rose had been promised. Adrien went just before Marinette in line and bought her rose flavored cotton candy in addition to Alya's citrus and his own green apple.

At the performance, they found enough open seats near the back for them to all sit together and traded freely with each other until they could all see. Marinette was once again beside Alya, but this time Sabrina sat on her other side, and Luka and Adrien were behind her. Just before the performance started she felt a hand brush her shoulder lightly in an almost affectionate way, but she missed which of them had done it.

When the show was over, Mr. Haprèle and several of his troupe members took photos with all of them, especially Ivan, Mylene and Sabrina.

"I'm glad you made it to the performance, Mylene." He hugged her, then put a half arm around Sabrina, "And how are you holding up? Are these girls, and uh, Ivan, and the boys I guess, dragging you around too much?"

"No sir, not at all." She replied, although her voice hitched up.

"You sure?"

"Sabrina, are you okay?" Mylene was frowning at her.

"Yes, I am. I'm good." She looked from one of them to the other, "I'm just having a really good time."

"Okay." Mr. Haprèle nodded soothingly.

"We're coming back to see your late show!" She blurted out. Then she looked at Mylene. "Right?"

"Right."

"Good. I'll look forward to seeing you all here." He hugged them both, "But I got to get back to work. You girls be good."

"Yes sir." Sabrina quickly took Mylene's hand when he released them.

Mylene gave her a light squeeze then waved good bye to her father. "See you later, dad."

"Bye, sweetie."

Adrien and Marinette's phones buzzed lightly. He smiled ruefully at them. "Well, I need to go too."

"Wait, Adrien," It was one of Wayhem's friends. "Would you mind being in a picture with us?"

"Sure," He wrapped an arm around Marinette's shoulder, "But only if we hurry."

Wayhem took Adrien's other side, and the others huddle together around them. They dispersed with a flood of good byes when it was done. Wayhem leading them away raving about how he told them Adrien was a good guy.

When they were gone, Adrien smiled again at the rest of his friends, "I really gotta run. I'll find you guys at the dance square?"

"We'll be waiting." Alya nodded.

She started to pull Marinette away, but Marinette shook her head, "Actually, Adrien and I are partners, so I think I'm going to go with him."

"Are you sure?" He asked, frowning in surprise. "It might be kinda boring."

"I'm sure, and it can't be too bad." She stepped up to him. "I want to be a fashion designer one day. Remember?"

"I'll come too. I can keep our Marinette company while you're with your dad." Luka told him. "Besides, the three of us together will probably have an easier time trying to find everyone else."

Adrien's bodyguard growled softly and pointed to his watch.

"Alright." Adrien nodded to him, "Then let's go."

"We'll catch ya'll later." Alya told them.

When they reached the dais where the speech was to be held, Nathalie greeted them, "Good. You're right on time. Adrien, your father wants you to add this as an over shirt to what you're wearing. He says to button the lower three buttons and tuck it in just past the first button."

Adrien took the white button up from her and complied. She nodded as she checked him over, then she drew Gabriel's attention with a hand gesture. When he looked their way, she motioned to Adrien's crown. Gabriel frowned, then after a moment, shook his head. Adrien took the crown off and handed to Marinette. "Look after this for me?"

"Of course."

"Your friends can wait here with me, Adrien, you need to go stand with your father." Nathalie told him, plucking at his clothing one last time. "Show everyone you support him."

"Thank you, Nathalie." He nodded to them, "I'll be back."

"We'll be here." Luka told him, wrapping an arm around Marinette's shoulders.

She nodded, and hugged his crown a little closer, watching as he joined Gabriel Agreste without looking back.


	16. Trading Gems

As soon as Adrien had taken his place at his father's right hand, his body had habitually relaxed. It was strange for him, the stark contrast of comfortably standing next to his father for cameras verses the newfound awkwardness of actually trying to talk to him. It was as if his father demanded no sense of self from him. As if he was only a pretty remnant from a happier time.

Come here. Stand there. No, don't say anything. Keep your smile placid, and your eyes friendly, but floating. Don't focus on anyone, you can't show favoritism.

His gaze strayed to Marinette again. She offered him one of her sweetest smiles, and a small wave of her fingers. His own smile, which he had unknowingly allowed to waver, came back at full force. He would be reprimanded for looking over at her so much, but for the moment, he couldn't bring himself to care. Her smile wasn't made for puppets, but people.

Even as he looked away, he fluttered his fingers by his side, and hoped that she saw it. He still needed some way to connect with her better, something to give her that would complete their relationship. It was critical to him as Cat Noir, and the more adopted he felt by both her and her family, the more critical it became to him as Adrien too. Unfortunately, he thought he'd found exactly what he was looking for.

Luka stood with his thumbs tucked into his back pockets, his weight shifted toward Marinette, and his eyes never leaving Adrien.

Adrien hadn't considered setting them up before today, but Luka had spent all morning being sweet to Marinette, and she'd seemed mostly receptive of it. True, his flamboyance in returning her crown had rendered her momentarily speechless, but Adrien couldn't prove that that speechlessness was discomfort, and, without Marinette permission, it wasn't really his place to say anything about it at all. Still, seeing that look on her face might explain his hesitation.

Except, it wasn't just hesitation, was it? He found himself almost wanting her permission to confront Luka, to ask him to back off. He had no idea why. Outside of Marinette, he thought Luka was a great guy, and he'd definitely call him a friend. Luka was kind, calm, and mature for age, all things that Adrien thought would be good for their easily-flustered friend. So why did the idea of Luka taking Marinette away make unhappy knots tighten in his stomach?

There had to be something Adrien was missing. After all, he had been comfortable enough trying to set Nino and Marinette up together, why was Luka any different? The thought of Marinette and Nino now, twisted its own knots. Well, of course it would. Nino had fallen in love with Alya, and she loved him, so of course the thought of Marinette and Nino together would seem weird for him. It followed then, that the knots Luka had caused had an equally good reason for existing. Adrien just had to figure out what it was.

He knew Luka wasn't always the savviest with words, but then, neither was Marinette. It also proved nothing, as Adrien knew that Luka regularly saw the heart of things, even if he couldn't articulate it. After all, the two boys had regularly improvised songs together about the people they had in common, and their melodies, from the high trilling notes of Rose to the low rumbles of Ivan, had almost always matched. Crown aside, Marinette even seemed to be more at ease with him than she had ever been with Adrien.

He bit back a bit of pain on that last point but thought he might have finally figured out what bothered him so much about the two of them together. The songs. They'd played all of their collective friends well except for Marinette. They'd only ever tried to play her once and the resulting song had been a jumbled mess. Luka had blamed him for this, asking him why he didn't just play Marinette as he saw her. When Adrien had suggested that maybe they saw Marinette differently, Luka had mumbled something under his breath, shaking his head. When Adrien had offered to try again, Luka had refused, and he'd refused every time since.

Maybe that was why Adrien was so resistant. Maybe seeing that obstinate streak first hand and knowing that the two of them saw Marinette so differently was the reason for Luka's knot. Some part of his brain, that sounded more like Plagg than he cared to admit, pointed out that they'd have to see her different if he wanted Luka to love her. The knot in his stomach clenched painfully.

"You just frowned, Adrien. Do you disagree with your father's assessment?" A reporter asked.

"I would ask you to kindly address your questions to me, and not my son without my acknowledgement." His father growled.

"Sorry, we're just curious what he thinks of your new Miraculous and akuma lines."

"You're referring to the suggestion that my father is a Hawkmoth supporter because of the akuma line?" Adrien asked. The reporter nodded, and a few cameras flashed. "I don't think it supports Hawkmoth at all to acknowledge that akumas happen and to see nothing evil in those who have been akumatized. Hawkmoth finds us all on our worst days, my father included, and I think this new line is our way of saying that, while Hawkmoth maybe a terrible person, those he targets, the victims of his akumas, aren't. So, don't hate yourself for having to wear an akuma's colors."

"Mr. Agreste, you were akumatized?"

"Yes, I was. I have no memory of being the Collector, but I was later told that I tried to attack my own son, so you can see why this line is very important to me."

"Adrien, have you been akumatized?"

"No. Not as of yet."

"Not as of yet? Are you actually expecting to get akumatized?"

"Not in so many words, but until Ladybug defeats Hawkmoth, there will always be that chance won't there? That tomorrow might just be my bad day."

Cameras continued to flash, but his father called the event to an end, and escorted Adrien off the stage with one hand. When they were out of the range of the microphones, Adrien was surprised to his father murmur, "That was very good, Adrien. I appreciate your support."

"Of course, father, I,"

But his father was done listening, "Nathalie, who are these two?"

"Sorry sir, this Adrien's partner for his class project, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and one of Adrien's other friends, Luka Couffaine."

His father frowned harshly at Luka for a moment before turning to Marinette. "Ah, so this is Ms. Dupain-Cheng. I understand you'll be staying with us all week?"

"Yes sir."

He appraised her for a long moment with a stern expression. Adrien was about to break that awful silence in defense of Marinette when his father finally spoke, "That is quite lovely dress you're wearing. May I ask where you got it?"

"She made it herself!" Adrien could almost feel the cuts of his father's disapproving stare, but he was so grateful to hear Marinette complimented that he blundered forward anyway. "Marinette already knows she wants to be fashion designer and is making huge strides in that direction. She was the winner of the derby hat contest. Do you remember?"

"Of course, I remember." He snapped, and then turned again to Marinette, "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I truly hope that the time you spend with us will be enlightening, for both you and me, as I suspect that as your ability continues to grow you'll be either one to watch out for or convert to my side."

"Oh, uh, thank you sir!" She blushed.

He nodded once, then turned on his heel and left them.

Adrien was surprised to hear even Nathalie exhale in relief at his departure. Her break in professionalism didn't last long however. She had more questions about their afternoon, and where they could be found. She had Adrien return the shirt she'd given him, so it wouldn't be ruined by face painting or the gem mine. Finally, she reminded him that during interviews, releases, and any other matters dealing with the press, he was supposed to pay attention without focusing on any specific person, but thankfully she didn't go into any more detail than that in front of Luka and Marinette. When Adrien thanked her, she folded the shirt over her arm, and released them.

Their first stop was by Marinette's parents' booth to check in and reaffirm what the afternoon held. Then they headed on to the dance square with Luka leading the way, and Marinette and Adrien walking together behind him.

If Adrien was going to be Marinette's wingman, this was the best time to start. He should catch up with Luka, and let Marinette walk between them, edging her closer to him. He sighed when he refused to cooperate himself. A hand brushed his arm and he looked down to find Marinette smiling at him. Another arm draped around his shoulder. Luka had dropped back to his other side and was smiling at him too, "You've got people, Adrien. I know it's hard sometimes, but you've got to remember that."

"Thanks." He replied, offering Luka a smile in return that he hoped wasn't too sheepish. If the older boy saw his guilt, he didn't acknowledge it, but he did let Adrien go with a squeeze of his hand.

"Yo, Adrien! Marinette!" The square was in sight when Nino waved them down. "Luka! Check it out, I can do face painting now!"

Luka looked back at them with smile, before strolling over to chat with Nino. "That's pretty cool. How do you like it?"

"It's sweet, dude. See I've been practicing on Nathaniel, and now they're letting me do clients at a reduced rate." Nino presented his partner to Luka.

Nathaniel looked up at them with a long-suffering smile and held out his arms. That was when Adrien realized that the artist wasn't actually wearing a long sleeved, color splashed shirt, but rather, his arms were completed covered in paint blotches. Nathaniel sighed at them, "I forgot my sunscreen at home, but Nino literally got me covered."

"Anything for one of my bros." Nino grinned.

"If you look closely, you can see where he'd improving." Nathaniel said, pointing to black circle with a plus in it. "See my peace sign? And just beneath it is a kittycat face. And this one over here is a rainbow with a cloud. And see there's lighting coming from the cloud?"

"Those are pretty cool, Nino." Adrien admired. "Have you seen Alya and the others? We were all going to come by here for face painting."

"Yeah, man, they already stopped by." Nino pointed to the dance square. "We figured it was okay to get them done since you'll would probably have to come by here anyway to find them."

"I see them." Luka, who'd been on his tip-toes, relaxed back down. "I'll go check in with them while you two get painted."

"Sure thing. It won't take me long to get Adrien here done up. I know exactly what to do." Nino looked at him, "If you're still interested."

"Definitely."

As Luka sauntered off, Nathaniel gave them the costs of various designs, including letting the artist choose what to paint on them. Marinette and Adrien both decided they'd rather see what their classmates had in mind for them than pick something themselves.

Adrien sat down where Nino gestured, in a chair facing away from Marinette and Nathaniel. Nino dragged his stool over to Adrien's right side. "Alright, dude, you ready? Cause you're gonna love this."

"I'm ready."

"Marinette, will you please close your eyes? I'm going to be painting all around your face, I don't want you to blink too much. Also, please try not to talk."

Adrien looked at Nino, "Do you need me to close my eyes and be quiet too?"

"Nah man, I'm doing this on your cheek. So, you can have your eyes open if you want."

"He should avoid talking though, Nino, so you're not working on a moving canvas." Nathaniel cautioned.

"Right. I guess I do need you to be quiet."

Adrien nodded, and froze. The brush spread something warm, and almost tacky across his cheek. Nino muttered to himself, but Adrien couldn't see what had annoyed him. Something splashed, and Adrien felt cool droplets his the back of his hand. The next time the brush swept across his face, it was definitely wet, and a left a streak of something sliding down toward his jaw. Nino winced loudly, "It's okay, I'm pretty sure I can fix this."

Adrien's training as a model was the only thing that prevented him laughing as his friend hurriedly launched into some swirl patterns, and then smacked his cheek two or three times with the brush tip. Nino gasped and came into view, "Look, Nathaniel can fix anything, okay? He did a really good job of patching up Alya earlier, I mean to where like, Alix and Ivan barely laughed at all when he was done with her. We just gotta wait for him to get done with Marinette, and I'll have him salvage this, okay?"

"I'd rather have you do it."

"Dude, no you don't," Nino shook his head, "It won't take him that long, and I promise you'll be happier with the result."

"I doubt it. I came here to get something picked out and painted by my best bud," Adrien grinned at him, "That's you. I don't mind how much you mess up Nino, just that I have something of yours."

Nino bit his lip, but he was smiling. "Alright, I think I got an idea. Just hold tight. Like seriously, don't move."

Nino wiped at his cheek, and then sponged something against him, over and over. He felt the return of the paintbrush, swirling in a circular shape, and then small droplets splashed on his cheek. The brush was back in a blotchy motion. Nino kept muttering to himself.

"It looks like you're tagging his face." Someone snickered.

"Oh, be nice, Alix." Someone else replied. "I think you're doing great, Nino."

"Thanks, Mylene."

"You know splatter art, as this style is often called, is supposed to be very popular in some places."

"Thanks, Max." Nino paused. "And I much as I appreciate the critiques, ya'll need to let a guy work. I don't wanna mess this up."

"You mean any more than you already have." Replied a voice Adrien easily recognized as Alya.

Nino sighed.

"Nathaniel, may I get up? Am I done?"

"You are."

Marinette came around in front of Adrien, watching Nino work. Nathaniel had painted what looked like an open mask of mostly white wind swirls with a couple of sparkling blue and pink overlays on her. Small cherry blossoms, snow drops, and forget-me-nots dotted throughout the design, making it the perfect reconciliation between for her dress and crown.

She smiled at his friend's work, "Nino, do you want me to tell him what it is?"

"You can recognize it?"

"Of course." She replied with a cheerful shrug, "And I think Mylene is right. It looks awesome, the splatter effect gives it a sort of surreal charm."

"Do you think it's good enough?"

"I think it needs eyes." Nathaniel told him. "Use this brush to dot him with the glue, then add rhinestones."

"Wait, are we allowed to,"

"I'm allowing it." Nathaniel cut in decisively. "You need practice with both the rhinestones and glitter, and you're not wasting either on me."

"Okay, uh, be still, Adrien. This is gonna hurt a little." Adrien felt Nino dot his cheek, and then force something against him almost painfully. Nino counted off, then did again. Finally, he held up a small mirror for Adrien to see his work.

It was a sapphire-eyed ladybug, sitting on what might have been a red-tinted cloud. Besides the jeweled eyes, every part of it had rough and splattered edges. The abrasive, undefined lines would have driven his father insane, but Adrien saw a fantastical, dream-like quality in the imagery that he loved. "It looks amazing, Nino!"

"You really like it?" Nino was smiling, rubbing the back of head. He looked hungry for praise, but afraid to push for it.

"Yeah, it's awesome." Adrien nodded, and held up his hand for a fist bump.

Luka decided to forgo the pleasure of being painted, but he agreed to take a photo of the rest of them together, proudly displaying the art they had received. Nathaniel, under mild protest, was pushed to the center, and held his arms crossed, not quiet blocking his face, so that the majority of Nino's work on him could be seen. The rest of them gathered around him, pointing at their cheeks or their temples or even waving a hand beneath their face. In Max's case, he hiked up a shirt sleeve to display the bicep 'tattoo' of Markov he'd asked for.

Both Nino and Nathaniel promised to join the group when their coordinator shut down their booth for the day. Then Nathaniel shooed them along before they got the pair in trouble by being a linger distraction. Alya gave Nino one of the cookies she'd saved from lunch, and a one last kiss, and then the group set back off toward Mr. Harprèle's stage, and by extension the gem mining booth.

The 'gem mine' was a water trough that spanned the length of what would be three normal sized booths and was half tucked under a large awning. It had a false back wall made of up of dollies full of small buckets of sandy dirt, and a similar side wall that had been about half used up. The hastily assembled wooden slats of the trough showed signs of water leakage, but they were by no means sieve, and the whole contraption was powered by some kind of fountain tubing and an engine that Max examined closely, but no one else seemed to have a particular interest in.

The proprietor gave them a reasonable party price that included a bucket, a wire wrapping for one of their gems, and a length black leather cord for each individual. They each bought their own buckets and found places along the trough. Adrien chose a place in the sun and found himself happily flanked by Mylene and Luka. He was even more pleased when Marinette took the spot directly across from him, even though the trough was almost too narrow for two grates side by and it gave them some issues shifting the dirt. Alya, who stood across from Luka, figured out the answer by having him shake his own grate in the same direction and rhythm of hers. With that resolved, the group took their time shifting out the dirt and gems, and exclaimed over their findings.

"Woah girl, that is so awesome! Look at that Tiger's Eye!" Alya grabbed Marinette's wrist, and held up her hand so the others could see the shine on the stone.

Marinette giggled, "If you like that much, Alya, I can always have them wrap it for you."

Adrien saw a chance for himself and took it. "If you're giving away your wrapping, Marinette, then I'll have to give you mine."

Marinette turned her large blue eyes on him, and a blush started in her cheeks. He feigned ignorance at her expression, and held up a shimmering, sort of blue and rainbow stone. "What do you think of this one, Mylene? It almost matches her eyes."

"It certainly has their sparkle." Luka teased, wrapping his long fingers along Adrien's arm, forcing him to shift the stone back and forth in the sunlight.

"I think labradorite would be perfect for Marinette." Mylene told them.

"Oh good." Luka held out one of his own gems for Mylene to examine, "And what do you think about this one for Adrien? I like that it looks almost like an anatomical heart, and I figure that it matches his Ladybug."

"Sapphires are supposed to be a stone for royalty." She nodded. "I can see it."

Juleka held up a small, somewhat red sphere and pointed at her brother. Mylene nodded again, and then, one by one, the rest of the group decided who they would each give their wrappings too, and what stone would best suit the recipient.

Adrien finished his bucket third, after Alya and Rose, but just before Marinette. As she was nearly in-sync with him, he allowed her to have her stones identified first, so he could have the labradorite wrapped for her. He then took immense pleasure draping the pretty little stone around his friend's neck and tying it for her. He only realized the intimacy of what he'd done when it was far too late to recover from it. Luckily Alya, after snapping a picture of them, saved him by both handing her phone to Rose and lifting up her own hair so that Marinette could tie the tiger's eye for her.

Max was the last of them, finally tying his piece of aventurine around Sabrina's neck with nervous fingers. He then offered her his arm. They took the lead together, chatting animatedly with those behind them about their findings at the bookstall, not seeming to care that no one else was quite as interested in "Floriography Today" or "Advanced Lessons in Original Robotics" as either of them. The snort Alix gave when she elbowed Mylene and gestured to the two of them also went unnoticed.

Madam Marckle's was not a particularly large stall, but it was filled with tables of books, and a prominent sign that advertised trade ins. Adrien and his friends browsed through the stock, as Sabrina and Max completed their purchases. He heard Alya squeal with glee over a super hero history book, and Marinette gasp at a discovery of her own, but found nothing himself, and so he resolved to wait outside.

He was about to take a seat on the ground when, a low voice from behind him asked in Chinese, "Black Cat, have you found anything that interests you?"

He whirled on his heel and replied in kind. "Not yet, Master."

"That is unfortunate." Master Fu said, dropping their shared language as Adrien's friends took notice of them.

"Everything okay, Adrien?" Ivan asked, stepping up to his right.

Luka, in a slightly less threating stance, with his hands behind his head, took his left, "Do we know this guy?"

"Yes. Adrien and I became well acquainted when I stepped in for his Chinese teacher on one occasion." Mr. Fu bowed slightly to the boys. When he rose again, he looked surprised for a moment, but recovered turning back to Adrien, "I am Mister Chan."

"Sorry, Master Chan. I should be more polite, this Ivan and Luka. Guys, this is Master Chan." Adrien turned to each of his friends in turn, "That's Max and Sabrina. This is Alix. Uh, Juleka is Luka's sister, and that's her girlfriend, Rose, next her. Alya, she runs the Ladyblog, and uh, Marin- Marinette, are you okay?"

Adrien forgot everything else, as he weaved through their friends to her. She took a step back as he closed in, making him pause. She kept looking between him and Master Fu, her mouth moving with no sound.

"Ah Marinette," Master Fu leaned forward on his cane, "Please believe that it is possible, that the man you buy tea from, is also capable of being your classmate's teacher."

Adrien spun back to him, disbelief radiating from his belly, "You know Marinette?"

"I do," Master Fu nodded, "She was once brought to my shop by a friend in need of healing. Now she comes by for tea."

"FOR MONSOONS! I WANTED JASMINE KEYS TO MAKE MONSOONS!"

"Uh, what?" Alya asked.

"Macarons. I wanted to try,"

Adrien wasn't paying attention. A friend had brought Marinette to Master Fu's shop. Three guesses to who that was, and the first two didn't count. Ladybug, after being discovered, must have taken Marinette to see Master Fu. The only question then, was did Marinette understand the significance of the meeting? Adrien was betting she didn't if Master Fu was willing to lie to her about her friend being in need of healing. Something in his heart eased, releasing a smile. Even if they were all lying to her to accomplish it, there was a peace in knowing that Marinette was protected by all three of them.

"Please, if you are done here, you must come over to my shop. I have tea to be heated, and given your friendship with both Adrien and Marinette, it would be my pleasure to offer you all a cup." Master Fu turned away and strolled toward a green and gold, two-sided tent without looking back.

Their friends seemed to be looking at the two of them for confirmation, so Adrien turned to Marinette. She was watching him too, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. They nodded to each other in the same moment, and they turned to follow Master Fu together.

"Wait." Startled Adrien turned toward Ivan. "Um, I know you two know this guy, but he's a little eerie."

"He does seem like he sees right through people." Luka shrugged. "Not sure I'm up for that today."

"Yeah, like he's a kinda mystic or something," Juleka nodded.

"Uh," Next to Adrien, Marinette was clutching her hands together, like she wanted to disagree with her friends, but something prevented her, "I know he seems that way, I mean he is very wise, but he's also very kind."

"I tell you what, Marinette, why don't we spilt up here for a while?" Mylene asked, stepping forward. "Ivan and I wanted to stop by Andre's anyway, since we know he's here at the fair, and I think Rose and Juleka wanted to come too."

The two girls nodded.

"Yeah, and I wanted to hit up this skater booth that they have every year." Alix chimed in.

Mylene nodded, "See? We can catch up in an hour or so, that way you and Adrien will have some time with Mister Chan."

"Hmm." Alya looked back and forth from Rose to Marinette. "Do you think it would be okay if we spilt up for like an hour? I mean, I know there's the project to consider, but it's not like we won't know what's the others doing, and it is a fair. Those don't happen every day."

"Are you saying you want to stay with Marinette, Alya?" Rose chirped, "Because I'm sure it'd be alright. We're suppose to be spending the week together, but like you said, street fairs are a special occasion, and it would only be for an hour."

"Seriously?" Alix shook her head, "Did none of you talk to Ms. Bustier? Of course, it's alright."

They all turned to her, "What? Max is great, but we usually do a girl's day, so I wanted to make sure he could ditch if things got to girly for him."

"You asked that on my account?" Max frowned at her, "But you made me wear a flower crown!"

"Yeah, well, her exact words were that if we absolutely had to spilt up, we could, but we should try to compromise and do things we both want to do." Alix shrugged. "The flower crown was me compromising. I didn't say anything about you and Sabrina going to Madam Marckle's while you left us dancing, did I?"

"True, but,"

"So, skater shop for me," Alix cut him off, "Master Chan, for the three of you, and everyone else is going to Andre's?"

Luka shook his head, "No. But I'll find a way to entertain myself. Where do we want to meet back up?"

"How about at Marinette's parents?" Mylene asked. "Aren't we all buying dinner there anyway?"

"Right." Marinette nodded.

"Does everyone remember where it is?" Adrien asked.

Their friends all nodded and scattered. After watching them go, Alya turned to Marinette and Adrien, "Well, introduce me to Master Chan."

* * *

 **So, despite this chapter being mostly fluff, it took almost a month to write and edit. (Seriously, from the 24th of May to the 23rd of June, what am I even doing?) At least part of that was life getting in the way, but now my wisdom teeth are gone, and my sister's birthday, although amazing and a huge inspiration, is also past. So maybe I can get back to some semblance of a schedule. I hope too, anyway.**

 **On a further note, I hope this chapter isn't too choppy. I had a lot I wanted them to accomplish at the street fair, and writing multiple, multiple chapters for the same day seemed a little ridiculous. Still, I have a little more to cover, so if it's not your thing, just bear with me. We'll get to Adrien's week, and the akumas and fluff therein, in due time.  
**

 **As always, I appreciate your comments, concerns, and delights, and hope you're enjoying the story.**

 **-SG**


	17. Tea Shop Tests

Entering one of Master Fu's domains was, for Marinette, always a little like leaving reality for a place where time merged into a seamless moment and magic permeated the air as breathable substance. Outside his walls, the world may continue to crusade down random, meaningless paths, but time with his workshop combined myth and order, and stood still. Here was no different.

The heavy material of the tent provided as much as shade as stone or wood might have but captured the heady fragrances of Master Fu's many herbal teas with greater ease. The two open sides directed the fair's non-existent breezes into a steady stream of fresh air. The tent walls and ceiling were awash in dancing iridescent lights from small candles in faceted glass holders. Hexagonal tables surrounded by folding chairs of a varied number littered the area, and the final touch was a long table on one wall that held a make shift apothecary, including a portable stove, a blending station and something that bubbled gently out of sight.

"Marinette." Master Fu broke the place's enchantment over her with the sound of her name, then he smiled. "Would you be kind enough to put on the tea pot for us? You'll find jugs of water beneath the stove. And please turn off the radio that's under there as well."

"Of course, Master." Marinette moved to comply, then realized that she may have sounded too familiar, and hurriedly added, "CHAN!"

Alya rolled her eyes at the belated addition, probably attributing it to what she thought of as Marinette's usually spazzy nature, and Adrien offered her a somewhat ambiguous smile, before addressing Master Fu himself, "Is there some way I can help, Master Chan?"

"There are always ways you can help." He nodded. Then he gestured to the back flaps of tent with one of the candles. "More specifically, you can close those to limit our number of visitors and move the fans out of their hiding places, so they'll still be able to circulate air."

Adrien nodded and set to work. Alya shook her head, "Battery operated fans, a radio of bubbling water, and plastic candles. You're really killing the illusion of magic for us."

Master Fu's smile didn't falter, but he did raise his brows at her, "There are some who may be able to make that claim, but as the girl who runs the Ladyblog, does modern convenience really shatter your perception of magic so easily?"

"Uh." Alya seemed to consider this. Then she caught Marinette and Adrien's chuckles as they shared a look. She snickered herself, before turning back to Master Fu, "Point. How can I help?"

"You may help me with the table cloths and candles. Then Adrien and Marinette can put away the ones we've stripped." Master Fu replied. "We will need at least five chairs and, will you be joining us?"

Adrien's bodyguard looked almost taken aback at being addressed so suddenly. He shook his head with a grunt and pulled one of the tables and a chair into the entrance way, not blocking it completely, but enough that most people would think twice about crossing the threshold without permission. Taking his seat, he nodded to them once and cracked open the book he'd purchased from Madam Marckle's, "How to Survive trying to keep a Teenager Alive".

Master Fu turned back to Alya, "Two tables, it seems."

"Right."

Adrien and Marinette finished the tables first, then, with a quick wordless smile to each other, they went to work on the chairs. Before Alya could join them, Master Fu touched her arm, "Let them dance together for a time while there is no need for a third. Instead, I would ask you to help me with other work that needs to be attended to."

Marinette felt her cheeks go red and, heedless of the chair she still carried tight to her chest, whirled around to confront Master Fu. The leg of her chair caught the edge of the chair Adrien was folding next to her. He grunted with the effort, but retained his grip, throwing an elbow over her head to keep her from ripping the chair out of his hands and sending it soakring with the force of her pivot. Marinette, now entangled in arms, took a deep, steadying breath.

"Uh." Adrien blushed, and hastily unwound himself from her. "Sorry, Marinette."

"No. It's my fault. I should have been more careful." She smiled up at him, "I'm just glad you're so good with your hands."

Realizing what she said, Marinette went scarlet, "At holding things! CHAIRS! I mean, like you're so good at holding chairs! Well, probably not just chairs, but,"

He chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's alright, Marinette, I get it. And thank you. I'm just glad no one got hurt."

"Yeah." Alya nodded slowly, laughter enriching her voice. "I think you've got another good point. They really don't need the extra _help_."

"Alya!"

"What? Master Chan needs my help."

Master Fu shook his head softly at the two girls. Then he led Alya over to an open box next to the apothecary table and began pulling tins from it. "It seems you already know Marinette very well, and it would not be hard for you to anticipate her, but what of Adrien?"

"What do you mean?"

"In this case, tea." He replied, offering her a tin. He nodded past her, and Marinette hearing her cue, paused long enough to meet Alya's gaze. When Alya looked back to Master Fu, he continued, "While the two of them are engaged in their work, I'd like your help blending teas for them."

"Oh. Shouldn't we just ask them what they want?"

"Only if you're not still looking for magic."

Marinette watched the slow grin spread across Alya's face.

"I'm up for a challenge. Let's do something floral for Marinette. And," She turned an appraising look on Adrien. "And for him, can I smell the teas we're picking from?"

Master Fu offered them to her one at a time. She chose several, murmuring as she concentrated. When she finished, she presented her findings to Master Fu, and started asking about combinations. He gave her short direct answers, gradually letting her come to her own decisions.

Having finished with the remaining chairs, Marinette and Adrien took a seat at the table and watched Master Fu lead his newest student. When Alya had made up her mind, Master Fu nodded. "Good. Marinette, there are diffusers in that box, will you get them for me? Thank you. You'll also find unused teacups and a tray."

He turned back to Alya, "And now, we must come to a decision about you."

"What?"

"What tea will you have?" He handed her one of the silver diffusers.

"Oh." Alya pulled three tins to her, took a scoop of leaves from one, and a pinch from each of the other two. "This one."

"Very well." Master Fu nodded to her and handed her two more diffusers. "For Adrien and Marinette. I will find something for me, and his guard."

While Alya built their teas, Adrien and Marinette set up the tea tray to carry everything to the table. Acknowledging that he was the more graceful of the two of them, Marinette asked Adrien to hold the tray while she gathered the tea pot, spoons, cloth napkins, and anything else she thought they might need. When they finished, Marinette discovered that Master Fu was already done with his chore, and now seemed to be watching the trio interact.

For the first time in her life, Marinette suddenly wished that she had Cat Noir here instead of Adrien. Sure, Master Fu had seen his heroes in action on television, or maybe even in person, but that was combat. He might like to know how well they got along when it was just them. Marinette, who'd seen the mostly innocent flirting between Cat Noir and Rena Rogue, had a good idea, but even she was curious about who they'd be in a situation like this.

Then she remembered Cat Noir's desire to share his secret identity with Adrien. It wouldn't be selling her partner out to ask Master Fu for his advice on the matter. After all, he knew both Cat Noir and Adrien personally. If it was as bad of an idea as she assumed, he might know how to change Cat Noir's mind. She just needed a chance to talk to him alone.

Adrien derailed her train of thought entirely by touching her arm lightly and rattling something off in Chinese to Master Fu. She looked up at him and realized that he'd touched her with his opposite hand almost shielding her from Master Fu who he addressed over his arm.

His posture was defensive, and his was frowning, but his expression was more concerned and guilty than angry. She'd seen that face before, and recently, but she couldn't place exactly when or where he'd made it.

Master Fu seemed to take all this in too, studying Adrien before he rambled his own reply. Marinette knew him well enough to recognize that very careful, dispassionate expression. Whatever Adrien had said to him had disturbed him greatly, but he needed more details.

Adrien supplied them. He talked at length to the interest of everyone in the tent, but the understanding of only one, often pausing to close his eyes, or look skyward before he started again. When he finished, Master Fu nodded, and smiled kindly. "I'm glad you said something, and you do not need to worry. Your Chinese is improving."

"Wait, so all of that was just to improve your Chinese?" Alya demanded. "I thought you were discussing national secrets or something important."

"Sorry. But no secrets today." Adrien flushed, and rubbed the side of his jaw to his neck, peeling off little flecks of Nino's paint job as he did so. "I didn't mean to be rude, I just don't often get the chance to practice my Chinese with someone who isn't my regular teacher."

"Are you worried it's stagnating?" Marinette asked, trying to ease his discomfort, "Because you know my mother is bilingual. I'm sure she'd be happy to practice with you. She was always a little sad that they didn't teach me more growing up, but dad's pronunciation was just so awful, and she didn't want me learning it wrong."

"I'll remember that for the future. Having another conversationalist to practice with would be nice." He relaxed, "Now I wish I'd spent more time talking to her this week, but I guess it'll be a good excuse to visit, assuming I'm invited."

"Of course, you are."

"And of course, that water for our tea is getting cold." Alya reminded them, bringing over her diffusers. "Who is sitting where?"

"Why don't you sit there next to Marinette, and we'll have Master Chan sit across from her." Adrien grabbed one of the tea cups, filled the bottom of it with cream, and added hot water. Then he accepted a diffuser from Master Fu, carrying the tea to his bodyguard. "Are you sure you don't want to sit with us?"

His bodyguard smiled at him, took the cup, and returned to his book.

"So then," Master Fu started, passing around the remaining cups, "How did the two of you come to meet?"

"We're actually classmates, sir." Adrien replied, taking his seat. "Marinette was one of the first friends I made at school."

"And now you are together?"

"No! No, we've only been paired together for a class project." Marinette told him, grateful that Master Fu was feigning ignorance. She hadn't even been aware that he'd known Adrien on a personal level when she'd told him about her crush on her classmate. Although, now that she thought about it, maybe Master Fu had only sought Adrien out after finding out that his father had the Guardians' Book. Becoming his teacher, even if only for a day, would be a really easy way to integrate himself into their family, and it made the most sense. Why else would he even be interested in Adrien? "We're supposed to be learning things about each other though."

"Everything, or just most things?" Master Fu blew gently on his tea, "Or perhaps only some things?"

"Most things would probably be the most accurate." Alya told him. "It's not like we can't have our own secrets, but it's an exercise in friendship and empathy. We're learning what drives our classmates, and how they operate."

"So, you are a part of this as well." He pinned her with a stare that was almost disapproving, "And where is your pairing?"

"Rose went with her girlfriend for ice cream." Alya shrugged, "But we know where to find each other, and what we're both doing, so it's chill."

"Hm." Master Fu took a sip of his tea. "Since you run the Ladyblog, I must ask, could you ever see your partner on there?"

"You mean like writing articles with me?"

"I mean could you see her as one of your superheroes?"

Alya paused to think about this, and Marinette watched the expressions flit across her face, consideration, incredulousness, guilt, apprehension, and finally something close to reluctance. Her feelings were obvious, but Alya wasn't the type to dismiss her friends without giving them a chance to defend themselves. "Depending on the situation, I could see her as superhero, but without knowing what her powers would be,"

"You would hesitate to put her in that position?" Master Fu offered.

"Exactly."

"And how about you, Adrien?" Master Fu turned to him, "If you could offer someone you knew the chance to be a hero, who would it be?"

"Nino." There was in hesitation in his answer.

"Not Marinette or Alya?"

"Oh. Well, Alya would make a pretty great hero too." He recanted. "She's very strong, and confidant. She likes to get to the heart of the matter and doesn't put up with any nonsense."

Alya steepled her fingers together and leaned towards him, resting her chin on her thumbs. "But you like Nino more than me."

He laughed at her expression, "Nino and I play fantasy games online together. He's always some type of shielder that keeps me and the rest of our team safe. He's a good guy and the heroes don't have anyone like him yet. Cat Noir is a quick combatant with a single target A-O-E, Rena Rogue is an athletic fighter with a specialty in illusions, and Ladybug, beyond just being amazing, is a tactician and summoner."

"Okay, rather than point out all the ways that you're wrong, I'm going to pretend like I don't know what any of that means and ask why you don't like Marinette as a hero at all." Alya replied.

"Oh." Adrien had the good grace to flush. "Well, Marinette is very kind, and she's a great unifying force, but,"

"I'm too clumsy?" She cited, although she found that the idea hurt a little coming from him.

"No! It's just that you need to be protected." His pupil's contracted, as if he'd surprised himself with that answer, and he grasped for an explanation. "Wait. It's not, I don't think of you as being particularly fragile or anything. I just,"

He struggled, and finally shrugged, "I just think you should be protected. I'll gladly take on the world with Ladybug or with Alya and Nino, but you have to be kept safe."

The sounds of the fair filtered into the tent. The fans whirled, dousing them with cool air. Master Fu sipped his tea a little louder than was necessary. Marinette was only vaguely aware of all of this. "Why?"

She watched his eyes dart from side to side as he considered how to respond, then he looked positively inspired, "Your parents, and you, of course. You've taken me in, and not just in the way of the project, you've made the effort to make me family. Now, I just want to make sure I can keep you all safe."

Marinette missed his expression when she looked away and pulled her teacup close, but she did feel Alya's hand on her knee. She wasn't surprised to hear her best friend change the flow of the discussion to cover her discomfort. "Wait, so Marinette gets the family protection rate, but Nino and I have to hit the front lines? How very noble of you, Adrien."

"With me." He laughed awkwardly, "You have to hit the front lines with me. And don't tell me you don't feel the same way. You'd push me in front of a bus to save Marinette or Nino in a heartbeat."

"Yeah, that's fair." She agreed. "And you'd probably encourage me to do it too."

"After this? Yes."

Marinette wasn't paying attention to them. She stared at her teacup, lost in the maze that Adrien had just laid before her. He thought Ladybug was amazing. But he didn't want Marinette to be his hero. But that was because he wanted to keep Marinette safe. But that was because he more or less thought of her as a sister. Which still meant that he cared about her, albeit not how she truly wanted him too.

"Master, what are these birds?" She asked, absently running her thumb over the pattern.

"They look like magpies," Alya replied, looking at her own cup.

"They? I only see one on mine." Adrien looked up.

"Each cup has a different number of birds as they reference an old rhyme." Master Fu told them. "At least, that is what I was told when I purchased them."

"Oh!" Alya snapped her fingers, "You mean, One for Sorrow, Two for Mirth."

Master Fu nodded and showed them his own cup. "Three for a funeral."

"Four for birth," Adrien finished. "So, I'm sorrow. Marinette, Alya?"

Before Marinette could answer, Alya cut in. "Is not pregnant, and therefore has the wrong cup."

"But there are all kinds of births in the world, little fox spirit." Master Fu suggested. "The birth of a new identity, for instance."

Marinette jerked up in alarm, abandoning all thoughts of the previous discussion. Alya's jaw had dropped. Master Fu went on absently as if he hadn't noticed either of them, "After all, didn't you only become 'The Girl who Runs the Ladyblog' this past year?"

"Yeah. I did." Alya breathed in deep, "I totally did. So maybe I do have the right cup."

Master Fu smiled and took another sip of his tea. When Marinette caught his eye however, he blinked quickly. An unspoken acknowledgment of what he'd just done. She suppressed a giggle and reveled in the quiet moment that followed, watching each of her companion's reactions.

Alya appeared to be intensely focused on Master Fu. Master Fu in turn seemed to be uniquely uninterested and unbothered at being pulled apart by Alya's hard stare. And Cat Noir was,

Not actually here.

It was the second lighting strike to her poor little brain in half as many minutes, and she had to wonder if maybe there really was magic in Master Fu's domains. How else could she have forgotten that it was Adrien on her right side and not Cat Noir? She touched the back of his hand lightly and felt the warmth of his skin instead of cool leather, assuring herself that it was him.

He looked at her, a questioning smile barely gracing his sweet lips. "Did you need something, Marinette?"

Marinette. Not Princess.

Had it been something about Adrien's mannerisms, or his previous awkwardness? No. It was nothing that Adrien himself had done. Marinette refused to draw the lines between him and Cat Noir that Alya had. It was Marinette wanting to forget what he'd just said about not seeing her as a hero. It was Cat Noir wanting to use Adrien as his eyes in the field, linking the two of them, however remotely, in her brain. It was Master Fu hazing Alya as his newest hero, and it was the fact that it should've been Cat Noir here witnessing it with her, not Adrien.

That last thought rattled her. Was there ever a world in which she really wanted Cat Noir over Adrien? No. No, of course there wasn't. She was just thinking practically. As a hero, she needed her partner by her side, not her crush. Then she realized that she'd almost done the exact same thing to Adrien as he'd done to her. That made her giggle.

"What?" Alya demanded. "Do you disagree with what I'm saying?"

"I don't think she's been paying attention actually." Adrien replied absently. "And honestly, neither have I. I'm still thinking about the hero question."

"Seriously?" Alya sighed and rolled her eyes. "What about you, Marinette? What's had your attention?"

"The identity of Cat Noir."

Alya and Adrien both looked at her sharply, but she beat him to the punch, "Do you know something?"

"No. Not really." Marinette shrugged. "It's just that people don't comment on it as much."

Adrien relaxed. "Want to share your thoughts? I know you said last time that you thought he might be married."

"I don't actually think that." She replied, "My point was more just, 'What if he has other people in life?'."

"Ah. So, what do you think of him?"

"What does she think of who?" A low voice that disentangled itself from the general fair sounds outside drew their attention. It was Luka, standing with Nino and Nathaniel next to Adrien's bodyguard. He smiled in at them, "Hour is almost up."

"Hey dudes. Ladies." Nino leaned forward, putting both of his hands on the bodyguard's table. "Mind if we join you?"

"I do not mind at all." Master Fu replied. "But it sounds as though my young friends will soon be departing."

"We were supposed to meet up for dinner after an hour." Alya sounded regretful.

"Then you all should not be late." Master Fu admonished gently, getting to his feet.

"Is there anything else we can do for you before we leave, Master Chan?" Adrien asked.

"No. Thank you, Adrien." Master Fu replied. "My station is fairly well broken down. I think that I will just finish packing up and find a place to enjoy the fireworks. I recommend you and your partner do the same."

"Thank you, sir."

"Thank you, all three of you, for helping out an old man." Master Fu bowed to them. "Go and enjoy your friends."

* * *

 **You remember how life was supposed to slow down, so I could write more? Well, problems at work and a broken timing belt in my car ensured that did not happen. I would love to say that I'm getting a new car this weekend, and that that should help, but if this month has taught me anything, it's that I can't actually promise you that. What I can tell you with certainty though is that, regardless of speed, I am still here and I am still working.**  
 **Thank you for your patience. It's vastly appreciated.  
Cheers, SG**


	18. Fireworks

Adrien traded Marinette a plastic fork for one of her limonades and then presented her with a single, slightly crumpled box. She smiled up at him and scooted closer to Alya to give him room to sit. "Tourtiere?"

He nodded. "Your mom said this one should be big enough to feed us both."

"It will be, unless you're super hungry."

"That looks really good, Marinette." Mylene told them.

"I'll trade you a couple of bites of my side for one of your spinach and goat cheese galettes." Marinette replied.

"Please? That would be awesome."

Adrien offered Mylene the box, and she cut out a small part of the toutiere to set on a napkin, and then gave Marinette one of her tarts. Marinette promptly broke it in half and offered Adrien his choice sides.

"I think one person's cold might really be everyone's cold today." Max said. He sounded somewhere between amused and dismayed, and Adrien turned to find him watching Mylene share her piece of the tourtiere with Ivan and Sabrina.

"One person's cold is always everyone's cold aboard the Liberty." Luka grinned and offered Max one of his cookies. "So, several of us are used to it."

"We actually did have a cold go around a couple of months back." Ivan shook his head. "It was bad. Hit the whole band besides Adrien, and that's only because he barely comes to practice."

"I couldn't sing two whole weeks!" Rose complained.

"Sorry." Adrien offered.

"Don't be. We're blaming Luka for it." Mylene laughed. "He's the one who went swimming at Deauville Beach over winter break."

"I'd apologize for it as I regret getting everyone sick, but honestly, I wouldn't trade that particular experience for any other." Luka's eyes softened, and a light smile curled at the edges of mouth.

"I thought you said you felt like you were going to die." Juleka murmured.

"I did." He looked at her. "The air was already frigid before I jumped in, but the water was worse. It was so cold that I felt like I was treading sewing pins. My lungs didn't want to move, and so every breath burned, but,"

Luka leaned back, closing his eyes. "Looking up the night sky, the water pulling around me, I've never had my mind that clear. That was what made everything so worth it."

He turned back to Adrien, "It's a voluntary activity on a voluntary school trip where they basically take you and a bunch of other boys out onto the ocean at night and let you jump in. After a minute or two, they'll haul back in, and administer any needed care. You can back out at any time, but don't. It's amazing."

"It sounds way too cold," Adrien grinned. "But I'll try it, if I get the chance."

"I don't need my mind cleared that badly." Ivan told them at the same time Max shook his head, "Regardless of Luka's experience, that sounds very dangerous."

"I'll go with you." Marinette's smile was frayed at the edges with apprehension, but she touched the back of his hand in a gesture of sincerity.

"Boys only I'm afraid, Marinette." Luka chuckled.

Alya and Alix made twin noises of protest, and Nino uttered a word under his breath that drew shocked stares from most of his classmates. His eyebrows were furled in distain, and he was clearly wincing just thinking about the chill of the water, but he sighed. "If your pops will let you off your leash, and if our school is still doing it, then I'll be the one to go with you. But I really hope we're not."

"Thanks, Nino." Adrien leaned over to fist bump him, rolling onto his elbow and tapping Marinette's arm with his shoulder as he reached around her. "You're the best bud a guy could ask for."

"Yeah bro, and you better remember that next time I ask you to listen to one of my full Kitty Section mixes." Nino laughed, pressing into Alya to reach his best friend.

Alya started laughing too, and gestured at them to Marinette, "Maybe we shouldn't keep coming between them."

"I think it works." Nathaniel murmured, distractedly.

He looked up from his sketchbook when he realized that the conversation hadn't continued beyond his comment and, seeing everyone's eyes on him, slammed it closed. In the brief flash of the page he'd seen, Adrien caught a glimpse of hurried and coarse, but recognizable outlines. Not only had Nathaniel captured the essence of his and Nino's fist bump with the girls caught between them, but he'd made sketches of a kiss between Ivan and Mylene and of Juleka's hair blowing lightly in the wind too.

"You really are a phenomenal artist." Adrien told him, "Those were just outlines, right? I'm still pretty sure I know exactly who they were all supposed to be."

"Thanks." Nathaniel smiled. He looked up at his friends through his bangs, "I was thinking, along with the comics I intend to do of us, I might start posting some of my Ladybug sketches on the school website."

"You should add Super Nathan back in when you do." Alix replied, picking at the last of her quiche.

"I already have, but I'm calling him the Mightillustrator now."

"Good. It's about time." She grinned, "Let me know if you need help."

"I will."

"But you won't." She laughed. "You never need help with art."

"Are we ready to go?" Ivan asked, "We were almost late for the last performance, so I want to get good seats this time."

"Trying to make a good impression on Mr. Haprèle?" Luka teased, but got to his feet.

"Statistically, that's not a bad plan for him." Max replied. "Since Mylene is close to her father, any gestures that assure her that Ivan is close to him as well, or at least that Mr. Haprèle approves him, may help increase the length and depth of his relationship."

Alix turned to him. "I would never have put that into words."

Max looked surprised, "Really? But your linguistic skills are superb, Alix. You,"

"Oh no, it's not that I lack the capability," She cut him off while offing him a hand up. "It's just that I would never have said it. Ever."

"I think it's sweet that Ivan wants to impress Mr. Haprèle." Rose chided. "And that Nino likes panthers."

"Wait, what?" Nino stopped from where he was disposing of his and Alya's things to look at Rose.

"Panthers! You know, so Alya's dad will like you!?"

"Uh, Rose, Nino liked animals before he ever knew that my dad worked at a zoo."

"But I thought that was your first date!"

"Yeah, but I meant for it to be my first date with Marinette." Nino replied, shaking his head.

"You like Marinette?" Rose's already large eyes widened to an impossible size.

"Liked. I liked her at one point, not anymore." He stopped and went a little red, "Sorry, Marinette. I mean, you're still my friend and everything, I just don't really like you, like that, anymore."

"It's okay, Nino." Marinette smiled sweetly at him. "I like you as a friend too."

"Thanks."

"Okay, but I just want both of you to remember," Alya said, taking the trash from Nino and carrying it the rest of the way to the receptacle. "That if he and I ever break up, I'm the one keeping you."

"Well, that will probably things a little awkward for Marinette and me." Adrien said, throwing out his own things. "If you're keeping her and he's keeping me."

"Who said he gets to keep you?" Alya teased.

"Nun-uh. No way." Nino shook his head, pointing for emphasis, "I can agree to give up Marinette, and girl, you know I love you, but I will fight you over Adrien. That boy is mine. Nathaniel too. They'll just have to work out their friendships with Marinette and whoever else themselves."

"Sounds like you two are just going to have to stay together and work things out _your_ selves." Adrien laughed, "Cause I'm not giving up Marinette. She's too kind, and her parents like me. Her mom even just promised to let me practice Chinese with her whenever I come for a visit."

"And what do you mean, 'whoever else'? Is Alya taking the other girls too?" Nathaniel asked, looking back and forth between them. "Because even if she only takes Marinette, the art room is going to be super awkward after school, but if you're taking all of them I'll lose both my best friend, and my safe haven."

"Oh. Well," Alya chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I'd hate to make the art room super awkward."

She held out a hand for Nino, "I guess I'll just have to keep you too."

Nino took her hand in both of his and kissed her temple softly. "And I'll love every minute of it."

Alya softened a little and leaned into him as they walked together. Rose giggled with a small awe and Juleka quieted her by whispering in her ear, nuzzling her with an arm wrapped around her waist. Mylene smiled at both couples before Ivan pulled her close and directed her attention to him for a kiss of his own. Watching them, Adrien suddenly wished he could put an arm around his own sweetheart, his Ladybug, and enjoy the moment with them.

Behind him, Luka sneezed hard enough to stumble forward. He slammed into Adrien with an open-handed push to his shoulder. Given no time to react, Adrien couldn't catch himself or Luka, and ended up crashing into Marinette, taking her to the ground with him instead. He got an arm around her back though and pulled her close as he took the fall on what was mostly his elbow.

Pain radiated up his arm. Squeezing his eyes shut and breathing out through his mouth, Adrien did his best to focus on other sensations:

The oddly familiar scent of sweat, flowery deodorant, and sweet goods.

The sounds of their friends rallying behind Luka who was still dramatically hacking and wheezing.

And finally, on the feel of fingertips, clutched into his shirt, and warm, rapid, breath against the side of his throat.

Adrien opened his eyes. Marinette was staring at him, breathing shallowly. With the hand that still pinned her to him, he felt the wildness of her heartbeat.

"Did I hurt you?" The question escaped before he'd finished processing her expression.

She shook her head.

He blinked and realized that she hadn't spoken. So, he'd probably at least winded her, and knowing Marinette, she didn't want him to worry. He released her, pushing off the ground to his knees. "Are you sure, Marinette? Take a moment if you need to."

"I-I'm good." She squeaked, and her face went red.

Adrien felt a large hand pull at his shoulder. His bodyguard was attempting to get him up and off her. He moved out of the way and let the Gorilla offer Marinette a hand. Once she was on her feet where Adrien could check her over, he left them, walking over to Luka and handing him a cup of water he'd commandeered from somewhere.

Luka accepted it and finished the water in several gulps. When he passed the cup back to the Gorilla, his voice was remarkably clear, "Thanks, and I'm sorry about that Adrien. Are you and Marinette okay?"

"Yeah, I think we're both fine." Adrien looked at Marinette again. She nodded.

"We're going to be late." Juleka said, louder and clearer than she'd been all day but for a strange inflection in her voice.

Adrien frowned. Had she moved away from Luka when he'd had his sneezing fit?

"Not by my count." Luka bit his bottom lip in a playful smile. "We'll just need to hurry."

"Right." Mylene nodded. "If you three are sure you're okay, we should get moving."

Luka wasn't wrong on his timing, but the teens had failed to anticipate that the seating for the last performance of the night would fill up early. So, while Mylene found her father for a quick hello, the others searched for a place for them to all sit together. Max was the one who finally found it.

His spot was in the front, but on the far right where he could spilt most of the group up between the first and second rows, provided at least five of them were willing to sit on the ground in front of the benches. Max had even arranged a layout that had all of them sitting pretty much within one of the four cardinal directions of their partners.

Several of their friends chuckled at this or shook their heads, but Adrien was impressed and could see that Marinette and Sabrina were as well. They talked the others into following it, everyone but Luka who decided he'd rather stretch his legs out on ground next to Adrien than be crammed into the three inches of space between Rose and Alix for an hour.

Seeing another chance to potentially set up Luka and Marinette, Adrien offered to trade places with both of them, but Luka assured him that he was content on the end, and Alya wrapped an arm around Marinette's waist and told him no before Marinette even had a chance to speak. A small part of him, the part he assured himself was still uncertain if they were right for each other, was grateful for this, but the rest of him was annoyed at being thwarted.

Midway through the performance, Adrien felt the weight of Marinette's head on his shoulder. He glanced down at her and realized that the gesture must have been a subconscious one, a reaction to the arm he'd stretched out behind her. He decided not to react to it. He wouldn't dislodge her, but nor would he follow the instinct to wrap that arm closer around her. After all, either gesture might make her realize what'd she'd done, and in her startled embarrassment, she might disrupt the performance.

Adrien let out a soft chuckle that had nothing to do with Mr. Haprèle up on stage. Marinette was cute when she was flustered, and she flustered easily. When they'd first become friends, he'd worried that it was some social faux pas on his part that had her blushing and stammering, but now, while he still wasn't quite sure exactly what triggered it, he was pretty sure that it wasn't his doing and it was amusing to watch her try to recover. The only reason he didn't actively try to exacerbate it is it always seemed to leave her so distressed.

Except for the time his umbrella has closed on her, he suddenly remembered, she'd giggled at her own rotten luck then. He thought about that day, and he chuckled again affectionately, glad he'd done it and that they'd become such good friends. Without realizing what he was doing, he rested his head on top of hers and sighed, returning his focus to Mr. Haprèle and the other mimes.

When it was over, and the applause was coming to an end, Mylene led them away from the stage, informing them that her dad needed to help with strike, and it would be better if they weren't there as a distraction.

"So, dancing is next. Someone remind me, do we have to go down the center isle to get to the dancing greens?" Alya asked, counting her companions.

"No, we shouldn't." Nathaniel replied, and several of the others nodded.

"Good, because the last one there," Alya took a few quick steps ahead of the rest of the group. "DOESNTGETAPARTNERFORTHEFIRSTDANCE!"

And then she pivoted, running before she completely got out of the turn. Marinette, wordlessly, whipped off her own crown, and was on Alya's heels, and Adrien was sprinting too. Behind him, there was laughter and heavy footfalls. He felt like laughing himself from exhilaration, especially when he saw Marinette over take Alya. He charged forward then, passing her as well, ready to help Marinette if she needed another hero.

From somewhere not too far back, he was pretty sure he heard Alix say something like "I'm skater, not sprinter, this is bull-"

"If you don't like it, then slow down!" Luka laughed from further back.

"NEVER!"

Marinette reached the dance greens only a few feet before Adrien, and they laughed breathlessly, waiting for the others. Alya wasn't too far behind them, then Alix, Nino, Nathaniel who was surprising fast on his feet, Sabrina, Juleka and Rose together holding hands, with Mylene just behind them and Ivan with her, then Max who had neither the benefit of long legs, nor natural athleticism.

Luka was the last of the teens to come trotting up. He shrugged good-naturedly to the others, "Guess I'm out of this dance. You all will just have to have to fun without me."

"Actually, I'm not much of a dancer. I just didn't want to be left behind." Nathaniel told him.

"Oh. Well then, Alix, isn't it?" Luka started to offer her his hand.

Alix stepped back with an expression that suggested he'd grown a second head, "You're kidding, right? My prize, as one of the victors, should definitely be not dancing."

Nathaniel snickered. "Sorry, I should have warned you, Alix isn't much of a dancer either. She just likes to win."

"Uh, Sabrina?" Max took a deep breath, drawing not only her attention, but that of the rest of his friends. "Would you be willing to be my partner? I mean, if you don't want to dance we don't have to, but with everyone else pretty much already paired off, I thought,"

"What? Oh sure!" She smiled at him, seemingly pleased to have been asked personally, "I'd love to dance."

Adrien turned back to Marinette. She flushed and looked up at him with large doe eyes. He laughed and offered her his hand, "Well, since we've already been pretty much paired off."

"Are you sure?"

"Unless you want to dance with Lu,"

"No." Luka cut him off, "I lost, remember? You two get out there. I'm going to hang out here with Alix and Nathaniel."

Wordlessly, but with a shy smile, Marinette took the hand Adrien offered. He led her out onto the greens and pulled her into his arms. At some point, maybe after a song or two when the sun had fully set, he intended to hand her off to Luka if she wanted him.

Somehow though, two songs became three in the crush of people, and he didn't see the sky dim. Slow songs became fast songs, where they were joined by Alya and Nino, the four of them dancing together. The sky had darkened when Alya pulled Nino away with her, but in the weaving colorful lights that surrounded the greens, Adrien didn't notice. He turned in slow circles with Marinette when they didn't have room to waltz, promising himself that he'd let Luka cut in after one more dance.

Then the music ended, and the greens were flooded with the lights from several spots. Adrien blinked hard and took Marinette's hand, searching for their friends in the sudden light. He saw Nino and Alya and kept Marinette close as he pushed through the crowd to them. Ivan appeared at his elbow with both of Mylene's arms wrapped around one of his.

"Do you guys see anyone else?" Alya asked, shouting to be heard.

Ivan nodded, and pointed over their heads, "Juleka."

Adrien stood on his tip toes, and sure enough, there was Juleka, looking lost in the crowd. He released Marinette, "Stay here with Alya, I'll go get her. See if you can spot my bodyguard."

"Right."

Adrien pushed his way through the exodus, occasionally stopping to check on the tall girl. When he got close enough, he heard Rose's excited trill, "Adrien!"

She leapt toward him, wrapping her arms around him. He caught her, "Whoa. Are you two okay?"

"Yeah, we just couldn't find anyone else. Where is Marinette?"

"With the others, this way. C'mon." He shouted back.

When he got back to his friends, he found his bodyguard there. The Gorilla crooked a finger at him, and Adrien, taking up Marinette's hand again so they all had a partner, followed him through the crowd. Alya and Nino bumped into him a couple of times from behind, but they were all going too slowly with too many people around them for them to give him much trouble.

The Gorilla led them out onto the nearby hill where they found Max and Sabrina waiting with Luka, Nathaniel and Alix. Max nodded to them, "We left a little early, so we wouldn't have to worry about the crowd."

"Good plan." Mylene shook her head, "I didn't even think about everyone trying to leave at once."

"Sorry, Luka." Adrien let go of Marinette and gestured for her to take the spot by their friend. "I meant to give you a chance to dance too. I just lost track."

"It's okay. I found a partner for a while. Did you two have a good time?"

Marinette nodded, and Adrien took a spot in front of them, "Yeah, I actually love dancing, and Marinette is a great partner."

"Really? You love dancing?" Luka scooted down next to Adrien.

"He does, I've seen it." Nino stepped in between the two young men and took a seat, forcing Luka to slide a little to let him in. "Adrien basically likes most things that make him feel free. Dancing included."

"Huh." Luka stretched, and reclined on his elbows as the lights around them began to click off. "And Marinette's a good dancer. Something there to remember."

In the dark Adrien wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Nino make a face at Luka, and Juleka shake her head, but as she wasn't facing them, it may have been something Rose said to her.

Then the fireworks started, and they all quieted. After the initial two or three explosions, Adrien opened up his pocket, and offered Plagg a piece of cheese. Plagg took it and darted to up to sit in the grass near Adrien's head.

Laying there, between Nino and the nearly camouflaged Plagg, Adrien felt a peace that escaped him at home. If this week had to end, he supposed this was the perfect way to do it. Looking up at the vivid colors bursting across the sky, he suddenly released that he didn't mind. Tomorrow was his last day with Marinette's family, but this week had healed him, recharged him somehow. Come Monday, he'd be back with his father, but he was ready.

He was ready to face Gabriel Agreste and mend what had torn between them when his mother had been lost. He started to roll over and look up at Marinette, wanting to thank her.

Then he immediate flattened back down onto his back. Marinette had crossed her legs, but there was still a gap, and looking up at her from his position had still given him the distinct feeling of looking up her skirt.

"What was that about?" Plagg whispered, sounding alarmed.

"Later," Adrien breathed. He felt Plagg shift nervously up toward Marinette and hissed as quietly as he could. "Plagg! She and Alya are in skirts!"

"Oh," The kwami chuckled softly. "Right. Eyes forward, my friend."

Adrien was too embarrassed to question him, and as the fireworks went on, forgot about his kwami's strange behavior.


	19. A Kiss for Cat Noir

Marinette knew she was dreaming when it started. She could tell from the sound of rain drumming in the shadows, the dim, but omnipresent lighting, and the touchable quality of the air. She breathed out slowly and crawled down her ladder.

The clammy mist in her room rolled around her legs as her bare feet touched the floor, wisping away from the path it wanted her to take. She followed that path to her door and opened it. Oppressive darkness surged up from the room below. She stumbled backward as it enveloped her, but a strong grip on her forearms stopped her from falling over.

Green eyes with almost matching sclera blinked out of the void around her. "Mi'lady?"

"No. Marinette."

"Ah. Even better." He let go off her arms, and she felt his hand graze her lower back. She gripped his shoulders and tried hard to see his face as it couldn't be more than an inch or two away from hers, but only his eyes shone through the darkness. Warm leather brushed her cheek, and he lifted her chin up, "You never had the chance to answer Master Fu's question, did you, my love? If you could choose who fights at your side, who would you pick?"

"I told you the other night. I'd pick you." She replied.

His rich laugh evened out into a chuckle then disappeared entirely when a smooth, warm vice enclosed on her lower lip. The kiss surprised her, but it was not unwelcome.

Cat Noir, sensing no resistance, pressed his advantage. He released her chin, his arms encircling her completely, pulling her tight against him. She gasped, and he used the chance to nip upward, catching her top lip this time. Not willing to surrender, Marinette decided to take control of the situation and his mouth. She tangled her fingers into his hair and returned the kiss threefold, pressing into him.

His chuckle was lower, deeper, when he pulled away from her, "But who am I, my lucky charm? Who would you want me to be? Which of your civilian friends would you give a Miraculous to if you could choose among us?"

"Huh?" Her brain didn't want questions. It wanted more kisses from Adrien. "I already chose to give Alya a Miraculous. We needed her."

"Oh." Alya replied, blinking her green on green eyes, her face gradually coming into view as the darkness melted away from her.

"Mmm-hmm." Marinette nodded lazily.

"Well," Alya released her and looked around the darkened space, "Then, do you want to go save the world?"

Marinette thought about this. "Are you going to remain as Cat Noir?'

"No. It's too awkward trying to be two heroes at once."

"Oh, then I guess I'll have to keep looking." And Marinette did look around the dimly-lit classroom, trying to remember where it had shifted from.

"For Cat Noir?" Alya had completed her transformation into Rena Rouge.

"Yes, I want him back, he's my partner. Besides, I want another kiss. He's good at them."

"Better than Adrien?" Alya teased.

"Who's Adrien?"

"Marinette, do you realize what you just asked?"

And Marinette suddenly did. How could she have forgotten Adrien? He was her partner! Well, her _other_ partner. Not to mention the love of her life! Her heart slammed to life in her chest, and she sat up so fast she was almost dizzy.

She focused on her breathing for a moment, and then looked around. Her bedroom was still dark, but it was more, early hours of the morning, than oppressive dream dark. The rain tapped a steady dance on her skylight, as it had off and on all day, but nowhere indoors. The air around her was slightly chilly outside her quilt, but not tangible. Everything, as near as she could tell, had returned to normal.

"I have no idea where that came from, but I do _not_ appreciate it!" Marinette growled. She breathed out slowly and crawled down her ladder intending to get some water. She paused before her feet touched the floor, but there was no mist, and this didn't feel like a dream.

Half way to her sink, she decided that a nightmare like that required something stronger than water. She wanted something warm, like tea, to put her to ease. She opened her door and was surprised to find Tikki at the top of the steps. "Oh!"

"Marinette, what are you doing up!?"

"I had a bad dream, so I was going to get something to drink before I went back to bed." Marinette sat down on the top step. "Are you okay, Tikki? It's not like you to up so early."

"Oh yes. I'm fine." Tikki didn't look at her, "I'm sorry to hear about your bad dream, Marinette, I shouldn't have fussed at you. Do you want me to get you some juice, so you don't wake up Adrien?"

Marinette winced, she hadn't thought about the possibility of waking Adrien. "No, I'll get it."

"Are you sure?"

"I am." Marinette whispered, "I know I have a better chance of waking him than you do, but if Adrien turns out to be a light sleeper in general, I'd much rather have to explain what I'm doing in the kitchen than a kwami."

It sounded to Marinette like Tikki gave a snort of laughter, but half hidden in shadows as she was, Marinette couldn't be certain. What she did notice was that when Tikki spoke again, her tone was positively disapproving. "I don't know, maybe he'll think it's just a nightmare."

She snorted again much harder.

"Are you sure you're okay, Tikki?" Marinette asked, "You don't sound like you."

"Yes. I'm fine. I'm just nervous about staying at Adrien's this coming week." Tikki floated up to land on her knees. "We'll have to be very careful when we go out on patrol."

"We will be." Marinette promised, trying to comfort her small friend. "And I'll tell you what, how about I make us a cup of tea to share, as quietly as I can, and if I succeed without waking Adrien, I'll filch us a few cookies too."

Tikki giggled. "I like that plan."

Marinette giggled lightly in return, "Okay, find a spot in my room. If I'm not back up there in a few minutes, it means I've been captured and you should feel free to raid the pantry yourself."

Tikki nodded and whizzed away.

Marinette crept down the stairs slowly, taking the route she'd memorized as a child that had the least number of creaks. When she reached the kitchen, she slowed even more, using her memory of the space to augment the dim lighting from the street lamps outside.

She quietly filled a tea mug with water and set the timing on the microwave at a little longer than she wanted, wincing as the loud beeps cut the air. She shuffled quietly toward the table and peeked over it. The couch was empty.

"Looking for someone?"

She whirled on him, gasping, one hand going to her chest as if it could stop the frantic pound of her heart.

Adrien was the paragon of adorable teenage boy with his usually perfect hair ruffled and his pjs, a dark t-shirt and pair of ladybug sweatpants, rumpled from sleep. He even had the tired, somewhat apologetic, grin.

"Someone should put a bell on you." She grumbled.

He laughed at that before she had a chance to regret it. "Sorry, I was actually trying _not_ to startle you too badly, but when you looked for me I had to say something."

"I was trying to make sure I hadn't woken you." She tiptoed to him, so he could hear her whisper. "Sorry if,"

"It's okay." He cut her off, then his smile faltered, "But, is your mom awake? It was hard to tell with all the rain, but I thought I heard whispers."

"Oh no!" She gasped, trying to keep the panic out of her voice, "That was just me, talking to, me, actually."

"Ah." He narrowed his eyes at something behind her, then shifted quickly, punching open the microwave door with three seconds to spare.

"Good catch."

"Thanks." He pulled out the mug, "Hot water?"

She held up the small packet. "Tea. Do you want a cup? It's my remedy for bad dreams and sleepless nights."

"Sure." He set her mug on the counter and found one for himself. "So, did you actually have a nightmare, or was it just trouble sleeping?"

"It wasn't really a nightmare, it was just that one part of it was really bad. Part of it was actually pretty great." She frowned, realizing that she was thinking of the kiss. "I mean weird. Part of it was pretty weird."

"So, really bad, pretty great, and pretty weird." Adrien smiled, "Am I allowed to ask?"

"I," She couldn't tell him that the nightmare bit was her forgetting he even existed.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Marinette." He said softly, turning back to the microwave after she was quiet for too long.

"I kissed Cat Noir."

He whirled back to her in surprise, "What!?"

Realizing that he was about to make the same mistake she had, she pushed away from the table, and caught the microwave with two seconds to spare. Then she realized that in catching the microwave, she'd basically trapped Adrien in the corner between her arms. From the straightness to his back and shoulders, she figured she must have startled him, but before she could apologize he looked down at the microwave, "Good catch."

"Thanks." She looked up into his eyes.

He seemed to be studying her, biting his lip in amused pleasure. "So, you kissed Cat Noir?"

She blushed, "Technically, he kissed me first."

"Oh please tell me that was the pretty great part of the dream."

She hmphed playfully and released him, turning away so she could click on the kitchen light. Then she sighed and turned back, "It was, actually."

She couldn't believe this. She couldn't believe she was telling her crush that she'd just dreamed of kissing someone else, but, as she watched a smile that was equal parts humor and delight spread across his face, she was glad she had. "I was in my room, and when I opened up the door to down here, all this darkness sort of, erupted out of it. He was in it, and he caught me up and kissed me. Then he asked me if I knew his identity."

"And did you?"

"Well, he turned into Alya."

Marinette watched Adrien try so hard to stifle the laugh that burst out of him that he bit his own hand. When he had himself mostly under control, he chuckled, "Okay, that is pretty weird."

"Please don't tell anyone. I mean, Alya will be amused, but,"

"No, it's okay." He sighed, then snorted in laughter again. "So, what was the bad part?"

"I temporarily forgot the boy I'm in love with existed."

He looked away from her. Then his eyes darted back to her face, a smile curling the edges of his mouth again, "I'm tempted to ask if that's because Cat Noir's kiss was really that awesome, but if the answer is no I don't think I want to hear it."

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Maybe. I was looking for Cat Noir pretty hard after he turned into Alya, but Adrien,"

"Yeah?"

"Nothing." She replied, resisting the urge to finish that thought out loud, that she'd easily give up all of Cat Noir's kisses for the rest of time rather than to live in a world without him.

Adrien pulled his tea mug out of the microwave and grabbed hers off the counter. "So, I don't think you've ever told me who you have feelings for. Do you want to tell me about him now?"

"Uh," She scrambled for something, anything, to tell him. She didn't want to lie to him, but nor could she tell him the truth. Ever.

"I won't tease you, Marinette. I promise." He looked back at her, "I just want to see if I can help."

"Um, he's, he's just one of the really nice guys at our school." She mumbled. She grabbed a second tea packet from the cabinet and met him at the table, taking her cup from him. "Alya's been trying to help me talk to him, but I don't think I'm really ready to do it."

"I can talk to him for you."

"I don't think,"

"Hey, you said he's really nice, remember? And if that's true, he won't be a jerk just because he doesn't return your feelings." He rubbed the back of her hand comfortingly, "And if you're really that concerned about it, I can always figure out if he likes you first. Then I'll just encourage him to ask you,"

"Adrien." She shook her head, "I already know he only thinks of me as friend. I heard him say it myself."

"Maybe he was lying." He told her stubbornly. "Maybe he was too afraid to admit how he felt, even to himself. And if that's not the case, then I'll just have to talk you up."

"Talk me up?"

"Sure. You're sweet, and clever, and a lot of fun to be around." Adrien grinned, "Plus, you think Cat Noir's a pretty great kisser."

"Adrien!" She felt her cheeks heat.

"Sorry, Marinette. I'll stop." He relaxed. "Although, if you ever get the chance to kiss Cat Noir in real life, you have to promise me that you'll tell me if he's as good as your dreams."

"I won't." She shook her head. "Kiss him, I mean. That's not our relationship."

"Your relationship?" He looked at her with interest. "You have a relationship with him?"

"No. Of course not. I hardly know him." Marinette looked away so she wouldn't have to lie to her beloved's face. "He's just saves my life a lot."

"A lot?" Adrien raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean, I saw what happened with your grandma, but,"

"With Nona, and Andre, and Max." She shrugged. "Kim."

"Kim? He saved you from Dark Cupid?" Adrien frowned in confusion. "I don't remember, I mean, I thought I heard that he got brainwashed really early in that fight."

"It was before the brain washing." She replied, realizing her mistake. "I don't think anyone else saw it. Maybe he doesn't even remember it."

"Huh." He looked up at her, still a little confused, "That's crazy."

"Yeah. I'm pretty lucky he's around, I'd never make it on my own."

Adrien opened his mouth, paused, and then shook his head, "It sounds so much more personal when you say it like that, but I know what you mean."

"Oh? Do you have a relationship with Cat Noir too?" She teased.

"No, but Ladybug has saved me before." He met her gaze, and Marinette tried to identify what she saw there. It was warm, but a little lost, as if he wanted to share some vulnerability with her. "Most recently from jumping to my death when my bodyguard was transformed."

"Were you scared?" She guessed. He hadn't seemed so at the time, but maybe he'd realized how close he come to dying.

"No."

She took a sip of her tea and waited to see if he'd expand on that. She was disappointed when he didn't. Finally, she ventured, "You're very brave, Adrien. Much braver than I would have been."

"No, not really." He replied. "I just know she's going to save us, and I'm going to help anyway I can."

"Adrien," He looked at her, but before she could say anything stupid that might give her away, the living room door opened.

"Huh? What are you two doing up this early?" Her father took a closer look at the mugs in front of them. "Oh sweetie, please tell me you didn't wake Adrien up over a bad dream."

"No, she was very quiet. I was just already wake."

"Oh. Well, do you two want to make the apples then? They weren't originally on the list for today, but how is anyone else but your mother going to know that?"

Marinette smiled and slid off her chair. "That would be awesome, dad."

"What are the apples?" Adrien asked, following her example.

"Apple turnovers. Dad and I always make them when I'm up this early."

Her father wrapped an arm around her, "We started back when Marinette was very little, not even in school yet. She'd had a bad dream and refused go back to sleep, and I didn't want to wake Sabine because she'd had a late night. So, I just took Marinette down to the bakery with me.

"And I can't remember if you were too big for your playpen or if you just cried every time I tried to put you in it, but either way," He turned back to Adrien, "She wanted to spend time with her papa and refused to be distracted by the toys I'd brought down for her."

Marinette smiled up at him, "So finally, he just decided to pick the easiest thing on the list he felt comfortable letting me 'help' with and do it first."

"Apple turnovers won because there isn't any raw meat involved and you can stir the filling on a very low heat as long as you're willing to stir it for a longer amount of time, which I figured was safe enough for her to do while I was working on the dough right there next to her."

"After that, every time I woke up early, I asked if we could make 'the apples' again, so it just sort of became a thing we do together."

"That's really sweet." Adrien slid his hands into the pockets of his pants, "Is it okay if I help this time?"

"Sure!" Marinette told him.

Her father nodded, "Actually, if it's okay with you two, I figured I'd let Marinette teach you how to make the turnovers while I ice and decorate the cake for Ms. Chamack. Then we can all taste test the turnovers together for breakfast."

"Okay!" Marinette replied at the same Adrien said, "Awesome!"

"I think this project has you two spending too much time together." He father chuckled, "But why don't you two go ahead and head down to the bakery, Marinette. You can show Adrien how to get everything started."

"Alright, c'mon, Adrien." She turned back to him, "We can change for school while the turnovers are in the oven."

"You're the chef," He grinned and let her lead the way to the bakery.

Marinette walked Adrien through her father's usual morning process: lights on, light the oven, and prep the work station. Then she started on making the dough, explaining what she was doing to him so he could follow along next to her.

If Marinette thought baking with Adrien would have been awkward, she was wrong. Save for a little bit crush anxiety when they started, and small mishap with the flour that left some of it brushed on his check, it was effortless. He listened to her every instruction and anticipated her actions like they'd been partners for months instead of a week. There were a few extra hiccups when her father joined them, but Marinette attributed this to him being unaccustomed to having extra people in his work space and due course they evened out.

Two and half hours later, they were rounding on six thirty and had made three batches of apple turnovers. Her mother, midway through her own morning routine of setting up the shop to open in a half hour, ushered them upstairs to get changed before she raised the security walls, even promising to take the last batch out of the oven for them.

"I know your dad woke me up early the first morning I was here," Adrien confessed on the stairs, "But I guess I never realized just how long I'd been fallen back asleep for or that your mom didn't come in until after she set up shop."

"They started that routine when I was little." Marinette nodded. "Dad bakes first thing while my mom sets up. Then if it's not busy, she'll pass the store off to him so she can be up here when I wake up and maybe get some housework done. After I go to class, she'll head back downstairs because that's usually when things are picking up and she worries about Dad."

"But she comes back upstairs to eat lunch with you?"

"That started because of Chloe. I don't know why she hates me so much, but at one point the bullying was so bad that it gave me a lot of nightmares, and I would come home crying a lot." Marinette shrugged. "So, dad made apple turnovers with me in the morning, and mom made sure to eat lunch with me in the afternoon."

"Weren't you friends with the other girls?"

"Loosely. Mylene and Alix weren't in my class last year so while they were still friendly with me, it felt like I never saw them, and I always felt like I was intruding on Rose and Juleka's friendship. I mean, now it totally makes sense, but back then." She shrugged again. Then she smiled up at him, determined to end on a positive note. "But my parents have always been there for me, and Alya's been one of the best things that's ever happened to me, so I really can't complain."

The smile he offered her was warm but had been dipped in sadness at the edges. After moment he said, "Race to the top, one last time?"

She nodded.

Once they'd dressed and gathered their things for the coming week, they returned to the bakery and found Natalie Sancoeur and Adrien's bodyguard waiting for them. Marinette noticed the way Adrien's posture straightened as he approached his father's assistant. If Ms. Sancoeur noticed it as well, she gave no indication.

"Adrien, your father thought it might be easier if we came to get your and Marinette's luggage before you went to class."

"Thank you, Natalie." He handed his duffel bag over to his bodyguard.

Ms. Sancouer turned an appraising eyebrow on Marinette, and she hurried forward, "Thank you, Ms. Sancouer."

"Natalie is fine, Marinette. Remember, you're shadowing Adrien." Natalie replied. Her voice was more instructive than disapproving, but Marinette got the distinct impression that would change quickly if she failed to stay on point.

Marinette felt someone taking her cat pillow from her. Adrien's bodyguard smiled briefly at it, amused, before wrapping it around Adrien's duffel bag and taking Marinette's suitcase. "Thank you, sir."

He nodded once.

"I have your schedule for you, Adrien. I'll let you go over it with Marinette yourself so that we don't intrude anymore than we already have on her last morning with her parents." Natalie pushed a few buttons on her tablet. "And I've already spoken to your Chinese tutor. He's agreed to go back over the basics, just for today, so Marinette won't be completely behind. Next week you will resume your usual lessons."

"Thank you, Natalie."

"I'll see you this afternoon." Natalie turned on her heel.

"Wait, Ms. Sancouer." Marinette's mother held out two apple turnovers, each one wrapped in a napkin. "Adrien helped Marinette make these this morning. I thought you might each want one."

Natalie and the guard traded a surprised look. Then, the guard's shoulders relaxed, and a small smile played across his mouth as he reached for his turnover. Natalie accepted hers as well with a polite, "Thank you, Ms. Cheng."

Then she bid them a second goodbye and held the door open for Adrien's bodyguard. Marinette watched her through the window though, as Natalie waited for him to stow the pillow and suitcases. She took a bite of the pastry, touched her mouth, and smiled.


	20. Bloodshed

**So these last few chapters have been very sweet, haven't they? Well, in the immortal words of Eris from the animated Sinbad movie,** **"Enough talking. Time for some screaming."**

 **Cheers!  
** **SG**

* * *

Adrien poured over the tenth-grade roster he'd gotten from Alya. He liked the way she'd set it up by class, then gender, then alphabetically by last name. All of the girls and several of the boys had blue and red comments by their names. He read over a few of those before deleting them, infinitely more interested in anything in blue by a girl's name as they tended to read things like "graceful" or "similar builds". Any name she'd used the strike through function on had only one comment in red denoting how the girl or boy in question couldn't one of the heroes.

It was a good system, and he decided to copy it. He started with their class, removing all the strikethroughs, notes, and girls from the list.

He struck threw Ivan's name first. Marinette had said that Alya was encouraging her to talk to the boy she liked, and he doubted Alya would encourage her to talk to someone who was already spoken for. Max, he was left completely alone. He debated over Nathaniel and ended up giving him a red note about his previous crush and Marinette's lack of reciprocation at the time. He struck through Nino's name for similar reasons that he had Ivan's. He hesitated on Kim. Adrien had heard he was dating someone, but he didn't know how serious it was. He finally opted for another red note.

So, if it was anyone from their class, the most likely answer was Max. Well, anything was possible, but Max didn't feel right.

Adrien spared another glance at Marinette. She seemed focused on Ms. Bustier's lesson, twiddling her stylus between two fingers as she listened to the discussion about Lydia's marriage hints in the carriage. He exhaled softly, smiling as he went back to his work.

He was almost done when Nino's hand appeared in his field of vision. "Dude, what are you working on? You've been clicking away for like the whole class."

Adrien reflexively clicked off his tablet screen and looked up. Nino looming over him, his other hand on his hip. Adrien shrugged, "I was just making some notes, where's Ms. Bustier?"

"She needed to talk to Mr. Damocles." Nathaniel half turned toward them in his seat.

"That looked a lot like Alya's list of Ladybug potentials." Nino continued as if neither of them had spoken, "Have you figured out anything new?"

"Uh, no. Nothing worth sharing." Adrien replied, grateful for the out. "But I'm glad she sent me the version with all her notes."

"She sent you what!?"

"Uh,"

"Alya! You won't let me even look at the version with your notes, but you'll straight up send it to my boy, Adrien!?"

"Oh, did I send you the noted version?" Alya asked, coming to stand by Marinette.

"You must be really special, Adrien." Marinette teased, "She barely lets me look at it, and I've been helping her build it."

Adrien could tell Nino was upset. He was trying hard to play it off as teasing, but he'd obviously been hurt by Alya's mistake. Maybe Marinette and Alya could tell it too. They both seemed pretty anxious. "Uh, if this was just a mistake, and you don't want anyone looking at it, why don't I just delete it?"

Alya frowned at him, her eyebrows wrinkling like he'd done something unexpected. "You would do that?"

"Sure, but if you have an unnoted version of the same roster, or even the full school roster, I'd really appreciate it if you sent it to me."

"Dude, can I see it first? I gotta know if she thinks I can pass for Cat Noir." Nino stage whispered, his eyes playfully darting to Alya as he perked up.

"You can't." Adrien shook his head, pretending to whisper back. "She knows you were the Bubbler. Nobody here is actually anyone."

"Aw, really?" Alix laughed from the other side of the classroom, "C'mon Alya, how do you know I'm not Ladybug?"

"Because you were also," Something outside exploded in a shatter of glass and raucous laughter. Everyone in the class remained frozen until Alya, in a real whisper, finished, "Akumatized."

Marinette sprang into action before even Adrien could move. She was on her feet, slinging Alya into Nathaniel's arms and pushing both of them towards the stone half wall. "Get away from the windows! Everyone get down!"

Adrien leapt over her abandoned seat. He sidestepped her, one hand going to her hip as she tried to grab his shoulders and he twisted away. He slid past Ivan carrying Juleka and Rose, and then Mylene who had a death grip on Sabrina. Alix, having dodged Kim when he'd grabbed Max and Chloe, was already at the windows.

"Is it an akuma!?" Marinette demanded.

"Looks like." Adrien slammed away from the window, dragging Alix with him, when the man in the colorful outfit looked back toward them. "He's got a satchel and it looks like he's pulling some kind of explosive pillows from it."

"Right. I'm going to close the outer school doors. Lock the door after me and stay down. I'll hide in the locker room when I'm done." She pivoted and sprinted from the room.

"Wait, Marinette!" Adrien threw Alix onto floor next to Nathaniel and took off after his partner.

"Adrien, No!" Nino cried.

"Lock the door, Nino! Keep the others safe! I'm going after Marinette!" He called back.

Through the still open outer doors, he saw the akuma victim looking back towards Marinette. They couldn't let him in. He jumped the last couple of steps, came down hard, cracking his knee against ground. He ignored it. Marinette had one of the doors closed already, and Adrien threw his weight into the other before the man reached them. She clicked the lock home, and they exhaled in unison.

Their eyes met.

He wondered if she had been as scared for him as he had been for her and reached out to touch her cheek.

A small explosion shook the doors from the other side causing the teens leapt away from them. Adrien looked down at Marinette, his mind now back in check again, and hissed. "Go hide. I'll make sure the side door is locked and find a place for myself."

"Adrien!"

"No arguing, Marinette. Just go." Another explosion sounded from outside, "Please."

She nodded and ran.

He checked the side door quickly, and then ducked into the boy's restroom to transform. He went out one of the windows in locker room, closing it before he leapt to the ground. Everywhere he looked there were soot marks and charred feathers.

Cat Noir raced around the corner of the school and pulled back as a shadow passed over the street. If Hawkmoth had given an akuma with explosive powers the ability to fly or an extended leap, then every civilian in the city was in serious trouble. He looked up. It was Ladybug. She must have yo-yoed over the school and was now running along the opposite roof.

His heart slowed, and hope surged through him. There were a lot of situations he felt comfortable handling alone and a few he didn't. Regardless of how he felt about something though, things were always, _always_ , better with her. He raced after her.

He found her crouched on the other side of the same roof. "Thoughts, Mi'Lady?"

"Does something seem off to you about this victim?"

"What do you mean?"

"Something about how he moves, like he's just looking for the next thing to do. I mean, yes, he's tossing exploding pillows at buildings, but I can't figure out what his objective is at all. There's also something wrong about his outfit. It's all," She looked at him frowning, "Off."

"I am the Chemist! Looking to face off against the great," The Chemist called out, but broke into laughter before he could finish his line. When he had some control over himself again, he tried to continue, but his voice kept breaking, "So come out, her-oes, and face, the Chemist!"

Cat Noir knelt next to her, resting one hand on her shoulder. She was right, something was off. It took the model in him less than a minute to figure out what was wrong with the clothes. "They don't fit."

"What?"

"His outfit. It doesn't fit like most of akuma victim's do. It looks like he got those clothes from a thrift shop."

"You're right." She shook her head, "I can't believe I missed that."

He smiled at her, "Day job. I think you're right about the aimlessness too though, and for what it's worth, I never would have caught that if you hadn't pointed it out."

"Thanks, Kitty." She turned to him. "If I distract him, do you think can hit his bag with your Cataclysm? He keeps reaching into it for pillows, so I'll bet that's where his akuma is."

"Your wish my command." He grinned. "Just make sure to be careful, I'd hate to see you go out with boom."

"The line is bang, Cat Noir."

"No need for the tar and feathers, Mi'Lady, I know the original. I just felt like it needed something more explosive for an occasion like this."

"Just go," She chuckled.

And he did. He poled over to a roof closer to the Chemist and went down the back of that building. From there, he approached the Chemist quietly on all fours. If the Chemist noticed at all, he hid it well.

Cat Noir was about to signal to Ladybug when the young man spoke again. "Oh man, this is great."

He held on to one of the pillows for a moment, touching it with his opposite hand, before tossing it down the street. "I should have gone with like, pillow man, instead though. So much funnier. Maybe next time."

Cat Noir's focus sharped as his vision blurred along the edges. His body hot with rage, he sprung from his hiding place, pouncing on the fake victim. He wrapped one clawed hand around the guy's throat and raised the other over his head. "CATACLYSM!"

The prankster screamed in genuine terror.  
"CAT NOIR!" He heard Ladybug cry out at the same time someone behind him shouted, "Stop! Police!"

Cat Noir raked his palm down the guy's bag, destroying it and its contents. When the prankster balked and tried to get up, Cat Noir shoved him back to the ground using the momentum to push himself up. Then he took two steps back off the guy.

"What GIVES, dude!?" The prankster snapped, raising to his elbows. "I spent all afternoon on those!"

"Cat Noir, what was that!?" Lieutenant Roger demanded.

"Well, it certainly wasn't an akuma. He's faking it." He turned to the officer. "He thinks it's a joke to terrorize Paris."

"With real bombs!?"

"No, they were just firecrackers! Alright, man? And it _was_ a joke." He glared at them, "Lighten up."

"A joke!? You caused real damage to the city!" Lieutenant Roger roared at the fallen man.

"Oh whatever, like Ladybug won't just reset it like she always does!"

"She doesn't reset things like this." Cat Noir replied coldly. "She can only do it after an akuma attack, or I destroy something."

"No, she's gotta do it!" The prankster scrambled to his feet. "She's got too! I broke windows and stuff 'cause I thought she could fix it!"

"She. Can't."

"But!" He reached for Cat Noir who pointedly stepped away from him.

"Cat Noir." Ladybug pointed to the sky when he looked at her. He followed the gesture to a fluttering black and purple butterfly. "He may not have been a real victim, but I think he caused one. I'm going to follow it before I purify it. Someone maybe in need of help!"

"Go with her. We can handle this clown." Lieutenant Roger told him.

Cat Noir nodded and took off after his lady, shaking his head as heard the prankster pleading that it was just a joke, and he'd never meant to hurt anyone. He caught up with Ladybug at his school. She was watching the akuma closely, waiting to see if it would go over the school wall.

It didn't. In fact, it glided lower, to almost street level. Then it swooped back up in large arc as though it had changed victims, or its victim had changed locations.

Ladybug cried out and lashed at it with her yo-yo, snatching the akuma out of the air. She released it without any of her usual flair and dashed forward.

Cat Noir frowned. Then he saw it.

The Dupain-Chengs' bakery.

The front windows had been shattered, and charred feathers lay in the wreckage. He was in motion. His mind clear of everything but panic.

Someone in the bakery was in trouble. He prayed it was a customer, but the akuma had clearly been headed toward the second-floor windows when Ladybug had purified it. That meant only one of two people. His only options were Tom or Sabine. He wasn't willing to let it be either one of them. It couldn't be either of them. He wouldn't let it.

"Go to the bakery!" Ladybug implored. "Please! I'll check upstairs!"

"Got it." He skidded through the glass on the ground and leapt through the shattered window, noticing a distinct smell of copper mingling with the scent of baked goods before he ever saw the blood.

Tom Dupain sat on the ground in front of one of his display cases. Broken glass twinkled like garnets in his arm and shoulder, and he rocked a little with each breath.

"Mr. Dupain!"

"Adrien?" Tom Dupain looked up at him. "Oh. I'm sorry, Cat Noir. I thought you were someone else."

"What happened?" Cat Noir dropped to his knees and reached out for Mr. Dupain's injured arm.

"I heard a sound outside and went to go check it out, but when I got too close to the windows, a pillow hit them, and they exploded." Mr. Dupain smiled wryly and offered him the arm. "I tried to tell Sabine that it looks a lot worse than it feels, but she's really upset. She couldn't get emergency services on the phone because of the akuma attack, so she went upstairs to get towels. Could you go check on her? I'd do it myself, but this actually does hurt a lot, and I don't think I can hide it from her if I move around too much."

"She'll be okay. Ladybug's up there with her." Cat Noir pulled out his staff and called for an ambulance. When he put it away, he heard his ring beep. He noted that there were two pads left on it. He looked back up at Mr. Dupain. "Look, don't ask me any questions about this, but I want to stay here with you until the ambulance arrives. Unfortunately, I'm going to lose my super heroic identity soon."

"Permanently?"

"No, I just mean that I'm going to change back."

"Oh, thank goodness."

Cat Noir smiled at him, "Do you have any camembert?"

"Uh, yes. Adrien left some here this morning. I put it in the cooler back there so that I would remember to give it to Marinette before she goes to class next week. I don't suppose he'd mind if I gave it to you to eat instead though. He a really good kid, and I can always buy him more next time he comes over."

"Thank you, Mr. Dupain." Cat Noir got to his feet. "Will you keep talking to me so that I can make sure you don't go into shock while I'm waiting to transform back?"

"Sure, but I don't think it's really that bad. It just hurts a lot" Mr. Dupain settled back against the display case. "So, have you met Adrien, Cat Noir?"

"Agreste, the model? Not personally."

"That sounds so dismissive, to just call him a model." Mr. Dupain chided. "Like I said, he's a good kid. He's very kind and clever. He's been with Marinette all week, and I have to tell you their friendship really makes me feel better."

"Really?"

"Really. I know his parents must be proud of him. I know I am. And I'm really very proud of Marinette too. She's my daughter, have you met her?"

"Yes, I have." He replied, finding the camembert. "And she seems very sweet. Why don't you tell me more about her?"

He waited until he was certain Mr. Dupain was just going to talk and not ask him anymore questions before he detransformed. He held up a finger for Plagg then gestured that he needed to hurry. Plagg nodded and wolfed down the piece of cheese Adrien offered. This once, he was grateful for his kwami's lack of table manners.

Plagg gestured to his ring at the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and Adrien finished his retransformation just as the door opened.

"Cat Noir!?" Mr. Dupain tried to peek around the display case.

"No, Da-sir, it's me. Uh, Ladybug." Ladybug walked carefully around the display case with Ms. Cheng on her heels. "Mo-Ms. Cheng and I brought towels and a salve."

"Oh, uh, I thought Cat Noir was back there."

"I'm still here sir, and I was able to retransform." He moved around the other side of the case from the women, so Mr. Dupain could see him. "And thank you for talking to me. I can see why you're so proud of Marinette. Adrien must be lucky to have spent the week with her."

Mr. Dupain smiled up at him blissfully. "You should really meet her a little better, because you're right, she is very sweet. I'll bet you two would more than get along."

Ladybug chuckled at that. Then she crouched on the floor next Mr. Dupain with a spot covered jar. She raked whatever ointment her lucky charm had produced out of the jar with her fingertips, but Cat Noir noticed that her hands shook. He was sure that was just a reaction to the blood, but if she kept shaking around the glass wounds, she could hurt Marinette's father worse.

He touched her arm lightly. "Let me."

She nodded and handed him the jar. Then she took a towel from Ms. Cheng and dabbed around the wounds so that he could see.

"Mo-s. Cheng, do you want to try emergency services again?"

"Cat Noir's already done it." Mr. Dupain replied. "Really, I appreciate all that you two are doing for Sabine and me, but I'm feeling much better, and there are probably others that need your help too."

"Thank you, both of you, for looking after Tom." Mrs. Cheng knelt by her husband, a shiver in her voice betraying the words she spoke. "He's right, though. There are probably others who need you too. We'll be okay here until the ambulance arrives."

"Sabine?" Someone called from outside.

"Nadja! You're here!"

"Oh my goodness, Tom! Sabine, what happened?" Mrs. Chamack pulled open the broken door, wincing as the glass scrapped against the cement in an awful crunch.

"One of that man's pillows hit the window. And it shattered when the firecracker went off. And Tom's been hurt." Ms. Cheng's voice broke.

"Hey Nadja. It looks much worse than it feels." Tom soothed, rubbing his wife's arm. "And I'm sorry, but with all the shattered glass, I can't possibly give you the cake. It was sitting out here in the open when it happened."

"If you think I'm worried about that right now, Tom, you're hurt worse than you know." Mrs. Chamack knelt next to Marinette's mother. "Has anyone been called?"

"Cat Noir called somone." She replied

"Good." Mrs. Chamack looked at two heroes. "I followed the route that the Chemist took to get here, looking for a story. There were a few other injuries, but none that looked like this. I don't know where he went next, but if anyone else is hurt it's not between here and the university. Did you catch him?"

"Cat Noir did, and he wasn't a real akuma or I could fix this." Ladybug's voice cracked, and she smiled a little brokenly.

"No one here is blaming you. We all know you do what you can." Mrs. Chamack told her. "I'm going to stay here with Tom and Sabine so you two can leave if you need to. It'll be okay."

"Thank you, Mrs. Chamack." Cat Noir got to his feet and pulled Ladybug to hers.

"Wait, Cat Noir." Mr. Dupain reached out for him. "Could I ask you to do me one last thing? I mean, if no else is hurt and you two are headed home?"

"Sure."

"Could you find Marinette first, and tell her that Sabine and I are okay? I'm worried that if she gets out of class and sees the bakery like this, she'll panic."

"I will. And don't worry about Marinette, sir. I'll look after her." Cat Noir smiled down at the other man one last time. "I promise."


	21. I've Got You

Marinette stumbled out of the stall she'd destransformed in and fell to the ground. She'd done pretty well, seeing her father covered in blood, and her mother so upset. She'd even had the wherewithal to promise Cat Noir that she'd tell herself about her father. But now, she was spent.

She took one deep, shuttering breath.

Then another.

"Marinette, you need to call Alya." Tikki told her.

Marinette looked up, not really hearing her. "What's that, Tikki?"

"Call Alya. You've been very brave today, but now you need help, and it's okay to ask for it." Tikki landed on her knee, and gently touched the hand that rested there. "Call Alya and tell her what happened to your parents and that you want to go see them. It will help with the feelings of helplessness, to know that you're doing something, regardless of how minor. And I know Alya will do her best to help you."

Marinette nodded, but she couldn't quell the shake in her shoulders, nor the tears that started.

"Marinette." Tikki flew up toward her cheek. A door slammed open in the locker room outside, forcing the kwami to hide.

"Marinette!?" It sounded like Adrien.

Marinette struggled to her feet and went to the bathroom door. "Adrien?"

She had no idea what he thought of her, clinging to the bathroom doorway with tears and snot staining her cheeks red. For once though, she didn't care. She hiccupped, trying to hold herself together. She failed. Adrien ran to her. He yanked her possessively into his arms.

"I've got you." He murmured into her hair, just above her ear. "I've got you. It'll be okay."

Except it wasn't okay. His skin felt like fire wherever he touched her. But he held her so tightly, she could fall apart. Maybe that was okay. She wasn't alone. Maybe she would be okay. Maybe everyone,

"Adrien!? Marinette!?" That sounded like Nino calling. He sounded scared. She didn't want Nino to be scared. "Dudes, where are you!?"

"C'mon! Marinette said she'd hide in the locker room. We'll check there first, and if they aren't," Alya opened the locker room door. "Marinette!"

"Alya, it was her father."

"The akuma!?"

"No, the akuma was fake, but he did real damage to the bakery, and Mr. Dupain was hurt."

"Oh, Marinette." Alya pulled her out of Adrien's arms into a warm hug of her own. "It'll be okay. You're not alone, okay? We've got you."

Someone else gently scratched her shoulders from behind. She felt safe here, but she couldn't stop shaking. Why was she cold when everyone else was so warm? After a moment, she managed to pull away from Alya, enough to look at her, "Your shirt's wet."

"I know."

"I've gotten your shirt wet." She whimpered.

"I know." Alya pulled her close again. "Doesn't matter."

"Dude, I'm going to go tell Ms. Bustier what's happened." Nino told someone.

"Okay, tell her I'm calling Natalie too. I'm going to get us a ride to the hospital, so Marinette can see her father."

"Alright."

"Do you mind if we come?"

"No. In fact, I think Marinette would feel better if you did. I know I would."

Somewhere a door closed. Then Alya started to pull her along by her shoulders. "We should get her outside, get her some sun."

"Not all the way. I don't want her to see the bakery. Cat Noir said it was bad." Adrien had put an arm around her waist, leaning into her as they walked. "He was pretty sure the wound looked worse than it was, but according to him it looked bad, that's why he found me and told me to check on Marinette. Ladybug must have thought it was bad too."

"And she's the one who told Marinette?"

"I think so."

"I wish she would have stayed with her."

"Me too, but I'm guessing she must have been too close detransforming."

"Marinette, Adrien?" Ms. Bustier came around them. "Marinette, can you look at me?"

Marinette looked up, but when she met Ms. Bustier's eyes, she started to cry again. She wasn't sure how she kept crying when she didn't feel sad. She just felt numb. Ms. Bustier cupped her chin with both hands. "Oh Marinette. Listen you two, I think she may be in shock, and you're right to try to take her to her parents. Unfortunately, I can't just let you leave school grounds without permission."

"Ms. Bustier!" Alya protested.

"So, let me sit with her," Ms. Bustier said over her, "While you call your parents and get permission to leave, okay?"

"I already have permission for Marinette and me. I called Natalie, and she's sending a car for us."

"Nino, are you going too?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Call your family. I'll make sure Rose takes Nathaniel to the hospital after school, so call them if something happens, and your plans change."

A sudden thought broke through the haze that was Marinette's brain. "Akuma."

The reaction was instantaneous. Adrien hauled her into his arms again, crushing her against him.

"Where!?" He snapped.

"I don't see one." Alya replied, moving away from them.

"Me either," Ms. Bustier said. "Marinette, honey, where did you see it?"

"I didn't." She swallowed hard. "I just, I don't want to be akumatizied."

Alya stared at her for a long minute. "Marinette, if an akuma shows up for you right now, it's not even going to notice you through the sheer rage I'll have for it. Alright? I promise to use every self-defense trick Nora has ever taught me to pummel it into submission, then we'll use our new pet to go cause Hawkmoth some trouble for once."

"And dude, you best believe that I will support her fully in that." Nino nodded, coming to wrap an arm around Alya. "I'll even help you two pick out a name for him, something like Tim. Tim the Akuma."

Marinette started to laugh. It was so dumb, but so honest. Tim the Akuma. She laughed harder. Her stomach hurt by the time she stopped, but the numbness finally broken. She looked around at her concerned friends and teacher, "Thank you for that. I think I needed it."

She still trembled but she wasn't alone. Adrien was taking her to see her father at the hospital. She turned to him, taking a step back, "And thank you. I do want to see my dad. I need to, but,

She took a deep breath to fight back the fresh waves of helplessness. "I'm just glad he didn't see me like that."

Adrien held her by her shoulders, "Natalie and the Gorilla are already on their way. They'll be here soon. And I'm sure that everything will be okay, Marinette. But even if it's not, you've still got me. I promise."

Something about the earnest way he said that reminded her of something, but between her exhaustion and gratitude, she just didn't have the mental capacity to examine it too closely. She sniffed and hugged him again. Then she chuckled, "Oh no, I've gotten your shirt all wet too."

"So, uh, my turn?" Nino asked.

When she looked at him confused, he held out his arms to her, and she laughed harder. Alya smacked him lightly in the stomach, holding a cell phone, "Yeah, your turn to call your parents, unless you've changed your mind about coming."

Nino took the phone with a grin, and Alya turned back to her and Adrien, "If you're going to be okay here looking after her, then I'll go get our stuff from the classroom."

"I'm okay, Alya." Marinette replied.

Adrien nodded. "We'll be okay."

Ms. Bustier went with Alya. After another long moment, Alya returned with Rose and Nathaniel. Nathaniel shot Marinette a sympathetic look before he pulled Nino off to the locker room. Alya handed Adrien his and Marinette's bookbags. "Rose and Nathaniel are going to make sure our suitcases get to where they need to go. Do we need to get yours too? You two didn't look like you had anything extra this morning."

"No, Natalie is very efficient. She stopped by the bakery this morning and got everything before we came to school."

"Good. Well, we'll be back, so don't leave without us. Oh, and Ms. Bustier sent Kim to Mr. Damocles to let him know that the akuma has been dealt with, so he can release the classes. In another minute or two, this area is going to be full of people."

"Thanks for the warning. We'll head out to the steps."

"Nino and I will meet you there."

As Adrien drew her outside by the hand, she offered him a wobbly smile. "Thank you for taking care of everything."

He smiled back at her, "I'm not taking care of everything, Marinette. Just you."

That made her smile a little wobblier, but in a good way.

Outside, she couldn't resist looking at the bakery. There was still glass all over the ground, and feathers dusting across the street, but someone, probably Mrs. Chamack, had closed the security doors.

"Mom will have to throw out everything that wasn't in a display case."

"Probably." Adrien looked at her, "But it'll be okay."

She nodded.

They waited quietly after that, her leaning on his shoulder as they sat together. Even Alya and Nino joining them didn't break the silence. It could have been forever before Adrien's bodyguard pulled up, and Natalie got out of the passenger seat, but Marinette wasn't sure that time really meant anything anymore.

Natalie looked across the street at the bakery and shook her head softly. Then she walked around the car to open the trunk and gestured for the teens to join her. "I've already contacted the hospital, Adrien, and told them that we're coming. I've also spoken to your tutor, so he's aware of where you are that we might need to cancel your lesson for today."

"Thank you, Natalie." He replied, stowing the bags he carried.

"Are we taking these two as well?" She asked, watching as he took Nino's and Alya's bags from them and added them to the trunk.

"Yes."

"I wish you had told me, so I could plan for it. As it is, you'll just have to squeeze in back very tightly."

"I'm sorry, Natalie. We will. Thank you again."

"Of course." She nodded.

Adrien got in first, sliding all the way to other end and pulling Marinette with him. Alya followed them in. She scooted almost underneath Marinette and then half slid her into Adrien's lap. "Let Nino get in and close the door, and then we'll reposition."

Marinette understood what her friend was trying to do, and she appreciated it, but she's wasn't really in a mindset to enjoy it. Then Adrien readjusted so he could cradle her in his arms. The gesture reminded her oddly of being carried by Cat Noir, which was somehow more comforting then it should have been.

Unfortunately, Nino managed to jam himself into the backseat, and Adrien released her before she had chance to investigate that feeling further. Once the four teens had as much room as they could give each other, they buckled in as best they could, and were off.

Marinette's phone started to ring from the trunk just about the same time Adrien's bodyguard pulled around to the visitor's entrance. In the flux of people milling about the hospital doors, she saw Nadja Chamack, her back to them, her phone to her ear.

"Mrs. Chamack!"

"Oh, Marinette! I was just trying to call you about your father."

Marinette untangled herself from her friends, sprinted forward. "Is he okay!?"

"Yes. Yes, he's fine." Mrs. Chamack caught her by the shoulders. "He was a mess, but once they got him semi cleaned up, they said the wounds weren't really that bad. They're already pulling all the glass out of his arm, and they've said that so far, it looks like only two or three of the shards left cuts deep enough that they would require stitches. But they'll know more once they've finished. Your mother is up there with him now, or she'd have called you herself."

She looked over the group and added teasingly, "Your mom thought you might try to bat your eyes at Adrien to get him to bring you up here, but she didn't say anything about a full entourage. If you're all staying, maybe we can keep each other company in the waiting room. It shouldn't be much longer now."

"Adrien, this would be a good time for you and your friends to do any homework you have." Natalie reminded him curtly. Then she held out a hand for Mrs. Chamack, "Natalie Sancoeur. I'm Mr. Agreste's assistant."

"Nadja Chamack. I'm a friend of Sabine's."

"If you're sure you'll be staying here with them, then I will get back to my duties for Mr. Agreste."

"I am. You don't have to worry about them."

"Adrien, if there's anything you or your friends need from the car, you all should come with me now to get it."

"Marinette, why don't you go with Alya and Mrs. Chamack. I can grab our stuff from the trunk." Adrien told her.

Nino nodded, knowing a cue when he heard one. "I'll help him."

"Thank you, boys." Mrs. Chamack replied, "C'mon you two, we'll pick out a place to sit."

Time passed faster than it had at the school. They all worked together on their homework, not exactly giving each other the answers, but certainly reminding each other where the answers could be found. Concentration was hard but having her best friends so close by helped. Every time Marinette struggled, rereading passages because she couldn't focus, one of them would reach out and rub her shoulder or her leg, or the back of her hand and she'd do better.

They'd finished up their science homework and were about halfway through language when Marinette's parents found them. Her father's arm and shoulder had been completely bandaged up, and the hospital had given him a paper shirt to wear home. Her mother clung tightly to his good arm and held a crumpled prescription in her other hand. She held out her arms when she saw her daughter, "Marinette?"

Marinette ran too them. "Mom! Dad!"

"Mr. Dupain! Ms. Cheng!" Her friends followed, crushing into her, forming a group hug around her and parents.

Her father started to laugh, "Oh my goodness, Sabine, I don't remember us having so many children, but certainly I'm glad we do. Are you all okay?"

"We're fine." Alya replied, "We're just glad you two are okay."

"Definitely, dude." Nino agreed, pulling back to adjust his cap.

"Marinette, Adrien? How about the two or you?"

"I'm better now that I know you're okay, Dad."

"Much the same, sir."

"Good! Oh!" Her father turned to Adrien, "Did you know, Adrien, that you and Cat Noir sound a lot like?"

"Do we?" Adrien chuckled and stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You do." Her father rubbed his thumb along his chin. "It's subtle. Mostly when you're taking charge of a situation, but you're so easy going, and Cat Noir is usually so playful that I almost never hear it. It's definitely there though."

"Oh, that's pretty cool, I guess."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to you uncomfortable." Her father held up his hands.

"Oh no, sir, it's okay. It's not the first time someone has told me I sound like him. And it's very flattering, I just never really know what to say to it. You know?"

"I do. He's very kind, but he's still one of Paris's heroes." Her father winced. "Come to think of it, I may have made a bit of a fool of myself today forgetting that."

"I very much doubt that, sir." Adrien grinned, relaxing.

"But I sort of hinted that he and Marinette would go well together."

"Dude, for real?" Nino laughed, "That is so bold!"

"Seriously." Alya agreed.

"I'm sure Cat Noir knew you were in a lot of pain, Dad. He probably didn't take it to heart."

"Well, maybe. But he did say you were very sweet when he asked about you."

"He asked about me?"

"He's was probably just trying to keep you talking, dear." Her mother raised up to her tiptoes and kissed her father on the cheek. "Forcing someone to focus on something is a pretty common tactic to prevent them from going into shock, and anyone who knows you knows you love your family."

"Oh, I guess it could have been that too." Her father agreed, amiably. "Well then, I'll have to stand by my original statement. He is very kind, or he would have pointed that out."

"Sabine, I hate to cut this short, but if you and Tom are going to be okay, I should get going."

"We will be. Thank you again for coming Nadja, and for looking after the kids for us." Her mother clasped Ms. Chamack's hand. "Come by the house tomorrow so we can get your refund."

"I will. I'll see then."

"Speaking of leaving, we should start getting you all home too." Her father checked his phone. "It looks like we have about another ten minutes before your school lets out. Why don't we head outside so you can call your parents and find out if we should get you back to school or wait here?"

Outside the hospital, Marinette waited with her parents to see what her friends would do. She was still drained but felt better than she had since she first saw the bakery's missing windows. She stared idly at the prescription in her mother's hand. Cleaning up the bakery wasn't going to be pleasant, but at least her dad was okay. She leaned on his good side. Maybe they could just clean up the glass outside the bakery tonight and get the rest tomorrow.

"Mr. Dupain, Ms. Cheng?" Adrien held his phone to his shoulder, "Sorry. We were just wondering if, after today, you wanted to keep Marinette at home, or if she's free to finish the project."

"She's free to finish the project." Her father replied.

"What? But dad, you've been hurt, and mom will need help in the bakery."

"If you really want to stay at home, sweetie, we won't stop you, but we talked about this while your dad was getting stitched up." Her mother quieted her. "We're going to close the bakery for a few days, so we can get the windows replaced, and give you father some time to heal. After that, I can do the baking until he's better while he runs the register. "

"So, while you are always welcome at home, there won't be anything extra for you to do there, and we encourage you to finish the project." Her father finished.

Adrien waited passively until Marinette looked at him, "It's whatever you and your parents decide together. I'm here for you either way."

"Are you sure you don't need,"

"We're sure, Marinette." Her father nodded.

Marinette bit her lip, but then nodded to Adrien. He smiled encouragingly then turned away. "Yes, Natalie. We'll still have Marinette for the week. If her parents will take the subway with us to the school, do you want to just meet us there? Alright, then we'll meet you there."

When they reached the school, they found all of Marinette's other friends had gathered outside of the bakery. Rose was the first to skip over, quickly followed by the other girls.

"We cleaned up what we could off the sidewalk out here," She chirped.

"We'd love to do more, but we weren't really comfortable going inside without permission." Mylene added.

"We're still willing to do more if you'd open up the security doors and let us in." Ivan agreed.

"Just please don't tell Chloe I was here." Sabrina implored.

Marinette's heart swelled, and she felt tears burn her eyes. She looked to her parents. Her father was smiling, and her mother held a hand to her mouth. They were both clearly touched by her friends' actions as well.

It was her mother who answered first. "We really appreciate that you all would be willing to do that, but we couldn't ask you,"

"I don't think they're really asking, Ms. Cheng." Alya cut in, "I think they want to help. I do too."

Nino nodded. "It'll go a lot faster if we all work together."

"We understand that Mr. Dupain was bleeding on the floor a little. We promise not to get to close to that, if it helps, since none of us have gloves, but surely we could help sweep up the internal glass and feathers without being an imposition." Max informed them. "And I'm sure you'll want to throw away any of the baked goods that might have gotten glass on them. I can help calculate the trajectory, so you don't have to throw any more than you have too."

"We appreciate at that, Max, and I'm sure your calculations would be right," Her father replied, "But for safety reasons we really should throw away anything that didn't have the protection of the display cases."

"Then we'll help you with that." Alix countered.

"You took a lot of us in last week when you didn't have to." Nathaniel murmured.

"And even before that, we've always been able to count on Marinette when we've needed her." Mylene agreed. "Please give us a chance to be counted on too."

"You could look at it as giving us something to do until our rides get here, if that helps." Adrien offered.

Her parents shared a look, and then her father held up his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, but you'll have to let us open the doors so that you can all see when your parents pull up, and promise me that you will be extra careful around the glass, okay? I don't want anyone else getting hurt today. Also, the turnovers that Adrien and Marinette made this morning were in one of the display cases, so nobody leaves here without one, deal?"

All the kids grinned, and several of them high fived each other. Her mother went around the side to raise the security doors. The joviality crashed to a halt when the doors got high enough for her friends to see the blood on the floor.

They were all so quiet that everyone understood Juleka when she asked Ivan, "You called Luka and told him we'd be late, right?"

"Yeah?"

Juleka turned to Marinette's father, "Then I'll cook something for you."

"What?"

"She's right," Mylene shook herself off and stared down Marinette's father. "Neither you, nor Ms. Cheng should have to do a thing after the day you guys must have had. So, we're definitely going to do what we can. We'll do it just like a strike: fast, efficient and thorough."

She turned to Rose, "Why don't you go with Juleka and take Mr. Dupain so you two aren't bungling around his kitchen."

"Right!" Rose wrapped both of her hands around one of Mr. Dupain's. "Come with us, Mr. Dupain, and we'll see if you have the right ingredients for one of Juleka's lasagnas!"

Juleka nodded and followed behind them.

"I know the pharmacy near here," Max offered, spying the prescription in Ms. Cheng's hands. "I go there to refill my dad's inhaler for him. I can escort you there, if you'd like."

"I should really stay here while you kids," Her mother started, but Mylene shook her head.

"Don't worry about us Ms. Cheng. We've got Marinette here to tell us where everything is and where it all goes, and we'll look after her. Please go ahead and do what you need to do."

"Marinette, sweetie, will you be,"

"I'll be fine, Mom. Go with Max."

"Okay, we'll be right back."

"Hey Mylene, I'm going to take pictures before we get started, so that if Dupain-Chengs needs them for insurance, they'll have them." Alya said, pulling out her phone.

"That's a great idea. Now, let's see. Marinette, where is the broom? And we'll need a trash bag and a rag or two."

"I'll get them."

"Get me a set of gloves and some bleach too while you're at it." Mylene turned to her boyfriend, "Ivan, will you get the glass off the counter since you have the longest reach?"

He nodded.

"Adrien, Nino, as the next two tallest, I want you to grab all the bread on the higher shelves and throw it away. And Alix, can you get the lower shelves and any bread that was knocked to the floor?"

They nodded and moved to the opposite side of the store from Ivan.

"What do you want me to do?" Nathaniel asked.

"I'm going to give you the trash bag to hold, and Sabrina, I'm going to have you sweep the floor, if you don't mind."

"Yes, of course, Mylene."

"What about me?" Marinette asked, handing over the cleaning supplies she brought. "Should I clean up the,"

Before she could bring herself to say blood, Mylene shook her head. "Give me the gloves. I used to help clean up after dad's shows, so I know how to deal with bodily fluids safely. You can, uh, well?"

" _You_ can help _me_ , shorty." Alix said, brandishing a baguette at her like a sword. "Nino has Adrien, so you can come over here and be my 'dudette' while we work. Although, I warn you, you start crying and I will toss you at Adrien's so fast, you'll be dizzy when he catches you."

Marinette went a little red at the comment, but she also chuckled, and hurried over to help her friend. It took all of them working together about fifteen minutes to photograph and clean the whole front end of the bakery. A little over three-fourths of the way through, Rose and Juleka returned with Marinette's father. He seemed to be listening carefully to Rose translate Juleka's mumbled baking instructions.

When Rose finished, Alya started in with comments about the pictures and told him that she would email them to him. He nodded and looked around. "This is amazing, how can I ever repay you kids?"

"There was mention of some apple turnovers?" Nino replied, licking his lips. "And, dudes, I've had the turnovers from here before, they'll cheer you up on the worst days."

Mr. Dupain laughed and pulled out the tray of turnovers. The teens gather around. "Save one or two for Max, but other than that, take as many as you want. We can't sell them if we close the store."

"Mylene, after we get ours, we'd better go. I know Kim has been distracting Chloe, but she's bound to notice that we're missing any time now."

"Sure thing. Stay safe, you guys, okay?" Mylene waved as Sabrina towed her off toward the subway.

"We should go too." Ivan said. Then added to Mr. Dupain, "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks, Ivan"

"No problem. Rose, you and Alya coming to practice today?"

"Oh yes!" Rose hugged Mr. Dupain tightly. "Get better soon."

She scurried off after Ivan and Juleka, stopping only to look at Alya. Alya hugged Marinette one last time. "I'm coming. Call me if you need me, okay Marinette?"

"I will. Thanks again."

Nino put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, Nath and I are going to head out too."

She nodded. So, he fist-bumped Adrien, then waved goodbye to Mr. Dupain. "See you, dude, uh, sir, and feel better."

"Thanks, Nino. I'll try."

"Adrien? I expected you and Marinette to be waiting at the school." Natalie said, holding open the door for Nino and Nathaniel to leave.

"Sorry, Natalie. We stopped by to help out a little bit before you got here." Adrien grabbed his bag. "Will you be okay, Mr. Dupain? Until Ms. Cheng gets back?"

"Actually, if you're up to it, I know where Max's pharmacy is. So, we can close up shop and head over there." Alix offered.

"I would appreciate that, Alix, and thank you, Adrien. I'll be okay."

"Marinette, are you ready to go?" Natalie asked.

Marinette nodded and scooped up her own bag. She ran to her father for one last hug. "Tell mom I said goodbye. And call me if you two need me, okay?"

"We will. Be safe, sweetheart." Her father replied and let her go. "You too, Adrien. Take care of each other."

"We will, sir. I promise."

The corners of her father's mouth quirked upward at that and he opened his mouth. Then shook his head and closed it again.

* * *

 **I'm thinking about going back through and renaming the chapters to actual titles so it's easier to go through them. (i.e. 1. The Two Week Partners 6. First Night in a New Place 12. Put it to a Vote ...etc.) What do you think? Too much potential for spoilers, too annoying when you're already use to them being number a certain way, or should I just run ahead with it?**


	22. You don't know how much I love you

Adrien stared at Marinette in horrified admiration. That was, well, it was technically recognizable as a greeting. And the fact that she willing to charge right in and try it, especially after the kind of day she'd had, made him smile. His Chinese tutor, not so much.

"Were your parents really so coddling that they honestly thought that could pass for an accent? Or are you just so worthless that they gave up on you?" He sneered in Chinese.

"I, um, I'm sorry. I can't actually understand you." She replied in French. "My Chinese is very limited."

Adrien managed to paint a smile on his face for her before he replied in Chinese to his tutor, "You are _lucky_ she didn't understand you, and if you ever repeat those sentiments in front of me again, I will see that you no longer work here."

"You don't have the authori,"

"I'll make it." Adrien smiled harder and as sweetly as he could manage given the circumstances. Marinette didn't need know he was threatening his teacher on her behalf. "If I refuse to learn from you, they may punish me, but they'll definitely replace you. And I am willing to take a lot of punishment to ensure you never insult this girl or her parents again."

Adrien's tutor wrinkled his nose, but then turned back to Marinette with an oily smile, "Forgive me, uh, Ms. Dupain-Cheng was it? Adrien didn't tell me you knew Chinese. I was just asking him what else he might not have told me, but the forgetful boy can't seem to remember exactly how much you know."

"I don't think I ever actually told him. Sorry, Adrien." She blushed, "But uh, I can say hello, and thank you, and good bye."

Neither Adrien, nor his tutor bothered to tell her that her actual statement, as best as they could understand it, had been closer to 'Hello, how are you?'. Instead, his tutor had her recite the other phrases, and winced as she did so. "That's very good, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. I trust that's all you know?"

She took a deep breath, looked him square in the eye, and replied, "Nǐ bù zhīdào wǒ yǒu duō ài nǐ."

Adrien blinked in surprise, but his tutor pounced on the statement. "Now there is something we can worth with. Tell me, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, who do you repeat to so very often? We can call Adrien by his name today."

She gasped and flailed her arms frantically as her cheeks went scarlet, "I DON'T DEPLETE THAT TO ANYBODY! ADRIEN DOES ME FINE, AND MOM DOESN'T RECALL JUST A FRIEND!"

"Uh, what?"

"I mean, I don't repeat that to anybody." Marinette shook her head, and got her gestures back under control, "It's just, it's something my mom says to me all the time. And I don't really want to call Adrien by the wrong name. He's my friend."

"Ah, well, I assume you still know what it means?"

She got impossibly redder. "I do."

"Good enough. Adrien, let us spend today going back over words and phrases of affection."

Adrien nodded, and spent the rest of the hour telling Marinette that he loved her and listening to her butcher how much she loved him.

He found her mispronunciations more and more endearing though, as they went on. It was like she desperately wanted to tell him just how much she cared about him but couldn't. And that just made him all the more determined to help her tell the boy she was actually in love with how she felt. She deserved to be able to say it, and he only hoped that the boy deserved to hear it.

When their time was up, Adrien's tutor promised him that the next few weeks would be extra hard, since he could apparently handle the punishment and left without ceremony. He had expected nothing less from the temperamental man.

"Was I really that bad?" Marinette surprised him.

"What? No. Well, I mean, you could use a little practice, but that's mostly just what he's like."

"What did he say to you?"

"That the next couple of weeks will be hard."

"I'm sor,"

"Don't be. It just means I'll learn more." He put a hand on her shoulder, and she smiled at him.

"Adrien, Marinette." Natalie stood in the open doorway to his room. "Dinner is ready."

"Thank you, Natalie." He gestured for Marinette to proceed him.

Something flared in Natalie's expression. It danced quickly through her eyes and tugged at her mouth. Adrien thought it might have been approval, but it was so quick, he wasn't sure. Of course, that's the way she always was with him.

When Marinette reached the bottom of the stairs, she paused and looked at him. Adrien smiled and, with a gentle hand on her lower back, guided her to the dining room. He pulled out a chair for her next to his, but opposite of the doors. "Here. Natalie will direct the chef to bring in dinner once father has decided whether or not he'll be joining us."

Marinette took the seat almost cautiously. "Do you and your father usually not eat together?"

"Before my mother, well," Adrien took his seat. He glanced at Marinette, but found he trouble holding her gaze, "Before this, when we were all still a family, we ate together all the time."

He shook his head. "Less so now. It's just hard for him, I think."

Marinette reached out to touch his arm, but he took her hand instead. They sat that way for a moment with him gathering his courage while she watched. When he was finally ready to meet her eyes, he smiled at her, "You don't have to pity me, Marinette. My family is little broken, but that doesn't make me incapable of happiness."

"I guess that's true. Sorry if I," She started to draw her hand away, but he refused to release it.

"Especially since I have such great friends now."

She smiled at him and opened her mouth, but before she could reply, Natalie returned. "Your father will be dining in his office again tonight, Adrien."

"Thank you, Natalie." He nodded and released Marinette. Natalie either didn't notice, or more likely, just pretended she didn't, and gestured for their dinners to brought out.

While he ate, she went over Adrien's schedule. It would be fairly routine other than the photo shoot and playing catch up on anything he'd missed the week before. She also used the opportunity to lightly reprimand him about the conference. His father had been impressed with his statement, but she had noticed the absent-minded expression on his face that proceeded it and reminded him that if she could see it, so could the cameras. Finally, she asked if anything had occurred in the past week that she should look into for him. He had nothing for her but had finished eating.

It was only after Natalie had taken his and Marinette's plates to the kitchen that Adrien realized Marinette hadn't said anything throughout the entire meal. He looked at her. She was staring at her fingers, stretching out them and relaxing them, her hands not quite clasped together. She jumped when he touched her, making him pull back in surprise, "Are you okay?"

"Huh! Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's just," She looked around at the high vaulted ceiling and down the long empty table.

"Oh. It's not quite the mausoleum it pretends be." He assured her. Then he had a thought. Her parents had used a movie night him acquainted to their home and family. He stood and reached for her hands, "Here, we'll go watch a movie or something in my room. Save the tour for another day."

Marinette let him pull her from the chair and lead her back to his room. She still seemed overwhelmed, sitting on the edge of the couch when he gestured her to it, but she watched him in way that made him suspect she was looking for signs of normalcy. If he acted natural, maybe it would put her at ease. "Is there anything special you want to watch?"

"No, anything is fine with me."

"Are you sure about that?" Adrien grinned, "I have Mecha Monkey vs Cyber Shark."

She pursed her lips in amusement. "You forget, I was willing to go see Mecha Monkey vs Cyber Shark _three_ in theaters."

"Fair point. So, it's a good choice then?"

When she nodded, he brought it down, sliding down the pole that connected the levels in his room. He didn't think any thing off it until she gasped and covered up a giggle with her hands.

He grinned. "What, have you never seen a guy use a pole before?"

"No, I was just thinking that you're comfortable using a pole for mobility and you're an amazing fencer. Cat Noir had better watch his step before you take his place."

"This morning, you were dreaming of kissing him, and now you think I should replace him? Should I be flattered or concerned?" Adrien teased. He laughed when she went pink. He was flattered, actually, both by the dream, and by her remarks that he'd make a good Cat Noir.

Mockingly, she dropped her hands to hips, "See if I ever tell _you_ about my dreams again."

"Sorry!" He held up his hands, but he couldn't quite get his chuckles under control. "I'll let it go soon. Promise."

She just shook her head, still smiling, and relaxed against his couch. Adrien found a lap quilt for each of them and put the movie on before taking his spot next to her. Halfway through the film, he felt her lean her head on his shoulder, and both of her arms encircle one of his. He looked down to find her watching through half closed eyes.

It was more than Ladybug's secret, he realized, and more even than his promise to Tom Dupain. It was something about Marinette herself. Something he couldn't quite name.

He wasn't in love with her. There was no excess of affection, nor romanticism in what he felt. It wasn't the glib friendship he had with Alya. It wasn't the gratitude he had for Chloe, or the comradery he felt with Nino. It wasn't even the minor anxiety he felt trying to live up to Luka. It was something so much more simple. More comfortable, he realized.

He was comfortable with Marinette. There was a pleasantness in having her with him. She didn't make him feel like a hero. She made him feel like himself. And she made him feel like that was enough.

She yawned, and he paused the movie, "Time for bed?"

"Could we watch just a little more?" She blinked up him, not manipulatively, just someone who was trying to ward off sleep, "It's been a long day, and there's still something I'd like to do tonight, but I'm not quite ready to go."

"A little more." He nodded. There was one more thing he wanted to do tonight too. As soon as he saw Marinette to her room, he wanted to transform one last time and go check on her parents. He hit play and let the movie finish out.

Marinette was alert enough when he finally cut off the tv and escorted her to her room. She wished him a good night and closed the door quickly behind her. He wondered what she wanted to do before she went to sleep. Call her parents, probably. He hoped they wouldn't keep her on the phone for too long given how tired she was.

"Adrien?" He turned to find Natalie, an explanation for Marinette's quick exit, on the stairs. She tilted her slightly as she studied him. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I was just saying goodnight to Marinette."

"Ah. Should you be returning to your room then?"

"I am. Goodnight, Natalie."

"Goodnight, Adrien."

She watched him as he went back to his own room. He left the door cracked open to listen to her fading footsteps and closed it completely once she was gone. He waited still a few minutes more to make sure Natalie wouldn't come back looking for him, then he looked for his kwami. "Plagg?"

"I'm sleeping."

"No, you're not. Come on. There's one more thing I want to do before we go to bed."

He heard the long-suffering sigh, but Plagg whirled out of his hiding place and floated over. "Hasn't your day been long enough?"

"Quit complaining. I just want to check on Marinette's parents." He held out his hand, "Plagg, Claws out!"

It didn't take him long to reach his destination as Cat Noir, but once he got there, he realized that he had no plan. He crouched on the building opposite of the entrance and considered the dark windows. He hadn't thought about what Marinette's parents' night might look like with the bakery closed. They may have gone to bed early, but they might also be out, enjoying the night off. He was debating his options when noticed a familiar glimmer of red on the bakery roof. Ladybug, barely visible in the lowlight, was pacing back and forth on Marinette's balcony.

He went to her, landing softly on the railing behind her. "She's not here."

She whirled on him, both hands going to her yoyo, "Cat Noir!"

"Sorry." He jumped down and moved to her side. "Marinette isn't here. I spoke to Adrien Agreste today, after her parents were hurt. They're in some kind of project together and she's staying with him. He promised to look after her for us."

She looked away, "That was very sweet of him."

Cat Noir shrugged as if the compliment meant nothing to him, but inside he glowed. He stepped around her, eyeing Marinette's trap door, "Do you know how the Dupain-Chengs are doing?"

"No. I was debating going inside to check on them, but if they've gone to bed early, I don't want to scare them."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"It's not too late yet." Ladybug told him, taking a seat. "They're usually just closing up the bakery at this hour. I mean, at least, that's what I've seen them do in the past."

He nodded. "Want to wait around a bit and see if maybe they went out somewhere instead?"

"I do." She reclined into the chair, yawning. "But only for an hour or so."

"Because by then, they're usually in bed."

"Exactly." She nodded.

Cat Noir watched her for a moment. "Are you alright, Mi'lady?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine." She smiled at him. "Just tired. It's been a long day."

"Alright."

She curled her legs up to her and blinked slowly. "Cat Noir?"

"Hm?"

"Will you tell me something?"

"Anything."

She chuckled softly at that. "No, I mean, will you just tell something? Something nice?"

He thought about it as he moved the tea pot and cups on Marinette's table, so he could sit facing his beloved. "We had grilled asparagus tonight at dinner."

"Do you like asparagus?"

"I do." He gestured to her, "Your turn."

She smiled at him. "Something nice. Well, I earned a B on my last literary test."

"Good." He grinned at her, "But next time I expect that to be a TB."

She giggled. "Thanks, Kitty."

Cat Noir's mind drifted from thought to idle thought in the silence that followed. He wanted to encourage his lady, but she didn't seem to need that right now. He wanted to scale the wall to the Dupain-Chengs' window, but he didn't really want to spy on them. Suddenly, he remembered something else that he wanted, "How well do you know Marinette?"

"What do you mean?" Her eyes snapped open.

"I mean," He wondered if there was really a good way to do this that wouldn't betray at least some part of his civilian identity. "She told me once that she had her heart broken, and she's my friend. I was just wondering if you knew who did it."

Ladybug was quiet for so long, Cat Noir was afraid she might not answer, but finally she sighed. "I do know. He's a friend from her school, and it was unintentional. She doesn't hold it against him, so neither should we."

"Fair enough." He tapped his thigh, "Do you know if she still loves him?"

"Cat Noir, I can't tell you how much or little I know about Marinette."

"I withdraw the question." He surrendered, holding up his hands, "But I was actually curious about _her_ this time."

She chuckled at that. "Fair enough. You'll just have to get to know her better on your own."

Cat Noir thought of Marinette's dream and burst out laughing. Ladybug couldn't have possibly known what he found so funny, but she laughed too. They struggled to get themselves under control. Every time they almost had it, they started laughing again.

It was a familiar voice in the street below that finally broke their merriment. "Hello? Is someone here?"

They both shot to their feet, traded a look, and scampered down opposites of the building. Cat Noir was the first to reach him. "Mr. Dupain! We just came by to see how you were feeling."

"That's very kind of you, Cat Noir." Ms Cheng stepped out from behind her husband.

"Thank you for coming by to check on us. I'm doing well." Mr. Dupain nodded. "I needed a walk after all that sitting today though, so Sabine and I went to find Andre."

"But you're okay?" Ladybug stood behind them, her shoulders slightly hunched and her hands clasped together.

The couple turned in surprise. Ms. Cheng looked at her husband but was the first to respond. "Yes, Ladybug, we're both okay. Thank you for your kind words earlier today. I don't know if I got a chance to say that in all the excitement, but I extremely grateful to both you and Cat Noir."

"Of course, mo-am!" She replied, finishing high on the last syllable.

"Thank you again." Mr. Dupain held up a hand. "We'll let you heroes get on with your night."

Ms. Cheng nodded and took her husband's arm. "And we'll get you to bed."

As soon as they were gone, Cat Noir turned to Ladybug, "I'm glad they're okay."

"Me too."

"Do you want to do any kind of patrol, or should we just call it a night?"

"Let's call it a night." She pulled out her yo-yo, "But I'll see you Thursday unless something comes up."

"Of course."

She turned to leave, then thought better of it. "You should go first, Cat Noir. I'm having a sleepover at a friend's tonight, and it's in the same direction you came from."

He nodded. "Give me about a five-minute head start, and we won't cross paths. But Ladybug?"

"Yes?"

"I look forward to the day we don't need head starts." Then he turned and jumped before she could reply, vaulting up to the roof. He looked back at her one last time. She waved, and he nodded, murmuring under his breath as he did so, "Nǐ bù zhīdào wǒ yǒu duō ài nǐ."

* * *

 **Heh! I was trying to get this in before that twenty-four hour mark on Oct. 25 (one of my birthday presents to myself), but I forgot about updating time. Still, I've been working hard on this chapter both last night and today, and I hope it's finally as error free as my brain tells me it is.**  
 **I hope you all enjoy, and as always comments and criticisms are appreciated.**

 **Cheers,**  
 **SG**


	23. Mistaken Motive

Marinette woke up to romantic violin music filtering out of a jazzed-up alarm clock. She released the cat pillow she'd half slept on and half snuggled, stretching as she sat up.

The room around her was artful perfection, mixing modern décor with high-tech convince in shades of white, black and cool grey. The king-sized bed had cradled her during the night without the sinking sensation of a too soft mattress. The pillows that had been provided to her were fluffier than actual sheep, and the sheets sliding around her legs were silky.

She turned off the alarm and slipped out of the bed, spinning in a light circle as she admired her surroundings again. She was well-rested, but still overwhelmed by the sheer elegance. Someone knocked at the door. Without thinking, she went to answer it.

"I apologize, Marinette. I did a disservice to you last night by letting you go to bed without informing you of Adrien's usual morning schedule." Natalie looked up from the tablet she held and sighed lightly at Marinette's pjs. She stepped into the room and closed the door gently behind her. "I set the alarm yesterday to give you enough time for a shower this morning if you wanted one, and for you to have breakfast with Adrien before you both need to head to school, but I neglected to inform you what I had done and why."

"Oh, thank you."

"Of course." She nodded and pointed at a door, "If you haven't already found it, you have a private bathroom through there. We have provided some toiletries that we encourage you to use. Breakfast will be in an hour, is there anything special that you usually have?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine with whatever."

"Alright, we'll see you then." Natalie turned to leave and then paused as something on her tablet caught her eye. "Oh, one more thing. Adrien's life, as you may have realized, is very well organized. For the next week, I'll oversee the organization of your life as well. As such, there are certain pieces of information you'll need to keep track of throughout the day for me, such as your food intake.

"Adrien is never denied food when he's hungry, but to ensure that his diet is balanced, we like to keep track of his proteins, sugars, and carbohydrates. You don't need to know that information, just a basic idea of what you ate is fine. We'll extrapolate from there."

"Oh, okay, is there anything else I should keep a record of?"

Natalie skimmed over tablet before she looked up with a brief smile. "Nothing else quiet as invasive, fortunately, but you will find that Adrien's movements stay very well monitored, and for this week, so will yours. I don't know how it is at home for you, but I assure you that is normal here. I will attempt, however, to make sure that you still have as much privacy as maybe provided to you."

"Oh, thanks again."

"Of course." Natalie turned to leave again, then paused, her hand on the door handle as she looked at Marinette, "But if I may be a little less than professional for a moment?"

Marinette blinked in surprise but nodded.

"There's no need for you to be so nervous, Marinette. Gabriel Agreste maybe a harsh critic, but he's also a good man." Natalie smiled again at her, "For all intents and purposes, you are Adrien's sister for this week, and as such, you'll be perfectly safe and welcomed here."

"Thank you, Natalie."

"Of course, Marinette. We'll see you at breakfast." She closed the door gently after herself.

Marinette exhaled. A shower would be good. She checked the door Natalie had pointed out. The bathroom, like Adrien's, was a dual room with an amazing bathing area, but was thankfully a little smaller.

On the counter, she found the personal items Natalie had mentioned in a basket. The shampoo and conditioner were both high quality with notes about natural oils on their labels. The body wash had a floral and tree nut scent and felt like gritty lotion on her skin. She also found a face lotion, lip-balm, and a pen of liquid eyeliner. Next to the basket were towels so fluffy, she was fairly certain she could use them for origami, a hand loofa and a pumice stone.

Marinette had meant to shower quickly, but the smell of the body wash made her linger, and she ended up washing her skin a second time, rubbing it nearly raw. When her conscious dictated that she'd wasted too much water, she finally turned it off. She wrung out her hair to towel dry it and noted how much faster and easier the process was. Still, she left it wrapped up to do her make-up.

In the sink room, after a moment's debate, she smeared the lotion into her skin, but she retrieved her own eyeliner from her bag, reasoning that they could let another guest use the left-over lotion, but once she used the pen, it would have to come home with her. She did use the balm though and loved the faint shimmer it left on her lips.

When she released her hair, letting the towel settle over her shoulders like a lady's cloak, she glanced again at herself in the mirror and had to pause. She looked like herself, but she also didn't. Her skin glowed. Her dark hair glinted like silk. Her mouth was open slightly in surprise as she admired herself. All of it, even the towel draped around her as it was, gave her the look of an underaged romance heroine.

Those products separately were probably more expensive than some electronics her family owned, she realized, and they were encouraging her to use them. She wondered at the why of it, feeling for a moment almost more like a bride of Hebo than Cinderella. She shook it off, dressed, and went to breakfast.

Adrien was waiting for her, talking to Natalie when she entered. He stood when he saw her and pulled out the chair next to his. He was smiling at her, but it was the same pleased smile he'd offered almost every morning last week, as though he didn't see any change in her appearance. "You timed it almost perfect, Marinette. They'll have breakfast out in just another minute."

"Oh, that was actually Natalie. She made sure I was up and on schedule first thing this morning." Marinette took the seat he offered, and he pushed her gently to the table.

"She's good at that." He chuckled and resumed his own seat. "She really is the best."

Natalie inclined her head at the compliment. "Let me go check on breakfast."

"I'm glad you're here." Adrien told her the moment Natalie was out of ear shot. He was still smiling, but there was something different about it now. Something more grateful than cheerful. "I would have missed having someone to talk to."

"Don't you ever talk to Natalie, or your father?"

"Father is already at work." He sighed, "We never have breakfast together anymore, and I do talk to Natalie some, but it's not the same. She mostly goes over the day's schedule with me, or highlights something I'll be doing later in the week, or what's expected of me."

He shrugged. "I mean, it's good to know, but I really enjoyed having breakfast with you and your mom."

Understanding what he meant, Marinette smiled at him, "Okay, so what are you most excited for today?"

"Honestly? Language. Nino told me that Mrs. Bustier said we'd do an open study guide today for tomorrow's test."

"We have a test tomorrow?" Marinette forgot all about talking to the love of her life at the obligatory clench in her stomach at the word 'test'.

"Yes, but I think we're more than ready for it." He touched her hand, "It's only going to be on chapters twenty-seven through forty-two, and we know those chapters. It's Elizabeth's visit to Charlotte and then her return home before she leaves with her aunt and uncle. And if it makes you feel better, I usually have Tuesday afternoons to myself other than some piano practice, so we can go over them again tonight."

"That would make me feel better."

"Then that's what we'll do."

Natalie returned to carrying small bowls of café au lait and the chef behind her had plates of a flaky bread with tiny ramekins. When the chef had departed, Adrien pointed out the flavors of jam in the ramekins, mango apricot; raspberry; and a strawberry plum. Marinette tried them all, delighting in the summery sweet tastes. Adrien laughed at her expressions.

"I'll have to tell the chef how much you liked them and see if he'll do a rainbow parade when we have a little more time for you to enjoy it." He told her, helping her out of her chair.

"Rainbow parade?"

"Yeah, the Strawberry plum and mango apricot are both a part of it. They're the 'red' and 'orange' respectively. Then he has a vanilla and yellow cheery jam for yellow, a key lime marmalade, a wild blueberry jam, that's not quiet blue in color, but we all know what it represents. The last one is a chia seed and grape, that's almost more about the texture than the flavor."

"That sounds amazing!"

"It's a lot of fun." Adrien agreed, "And I'm sure he'd love to share it with someone new who can appreciate all his efforts a little better. The rest of us love his work, but we're also fairly use to it."

"I'll be happy to help on that front." Marinette slung her small purse over her shoulder and peeked into it at Tikki. The kwami, having overheard at least part of the conversation, licked her lips. Marinette stifled a giggle and mentally started planning on how she might be able to share some of the treat with her tiny friend. Then she grabbed her bookbag and followed Adrien out to the car.

He opened the door and gestured for her to get it. She did so, and started to slide across to the other side, more focused on adjusting her bag at her feet than what her companion was doing. A moment later Adrien opened the door next to her much to both of their surprise. He started laughing, figuring out the mistake a few seconds before she did. "Sorry, I'll go back around."

"No, it's okay, hold on." She scooted back, dragging her bookbag with her.

In the front seat, Adrien's bodyguard growled impatiently. Adrien crawled in, flashed a glance up at his bodyguard as he closed the door, then winked at Marinette conspiratorially. She giggled, and he grinned back, but they passed the car ride in amiable silence.

Outside the school, most of their class were standing together, cheerful talking. Marinette looked at Adrien, "What do you think is going on?"

He shrugged, "I don't know."

"Adrikins!" Chloe leapt away from the group and just barely avoided throwing her arms around the emerging Marinette.

Adrien climbed out of the car from behind Marinette, laughing. He laughed harder at Chloe's pout, and Marinette's stunned expression. "Sorry, Chloe."

"Oh, that's alright, I could never stay angry at you, Adrikins." She purred, capturing him.

While Adrien tried to gently disentangle himself from Chloe, Marinette watched Sabrina and Kim trade glances and fall into step together. Mylene and Max followed behind them. Alix lagged almost unwillingly after her partner, and Ivan followed after his girlfriend. Juleka, still holding Rose's hand, came next. Alya trailed after them almost lazily, leading Nino and Nathaniel.

Alya was the only one who caught Marinette's look of understanding and responded by rolling her eyes quickly. Marinette offered her with a small shrug and half a snort.

"Really, Chloe." Adrien replied to something to Marinette had missed, "Marinette and I need to drop by our lockers. But I'll see you in class."

"And you promise we can be study partners?"

"I think the whole class is supposed to be studying to together today, Chloe." Mylene told her.

"Ulgh, whatever, Mylene." Chloe rolled her eyes. She cut her eyes back to Adrien, "I'll see you in class then, Adrikins."

With that, she sashed away, leaving Sabrina, Mylene, and Kim to tag along behind her. Ivan looked conflicted, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

Max shot him a sympathetic look, "Is bad that I'm not entirely sure that I want hang out with Kim either, this week? I mean, I,"

"Nope, that's not bad at all. Kim is great. I wish him all the best. However, we _can_ , and for my sanity probably _should_ , spend th week with Markov." Alix cut in. She turned to the group, "Did you know that while Max was at my house, Markov designed himself a helmet and wheeled glove to put over his hand? Apparently, he found out Max would be spending the week skating with me, and now he wants us to take him out to a park."

Max beamed proudly at his classmates' exclamations. "Alix has already started teaching him a little about how to roller blade, and we're going to take him to her favorite skate park tomorrow after he gets through redesigning his skate. He's pretty sure he can simulate the movements if he does two wheels on each side with a high divide in the middle. I'm less certain, but all science and robotics benefit from a little trial and error."

"If push comes to shove, I told him that I'd just teach him how to ride a skateboard." Alix nodded.

"That's so cool, you too!" Rose cheered.

Nathaniel nodded. "I'd love to get a picture of that, it would make a great sketch."

"Don't tell Markov that, he's actually very vain." Alix laughed.

"He is not." Max chided. "He's just an amazing and revolutionary, one of kind, robot and he knows it. Also, he found out that skating is considered to be cool, and so he admires you at lot, Alix. So, please don't let him hear you say anything like that. He doesn't really get sarcasm yet."

Alix's startled look gave away to a more flattered expression. She grinned at the rest of them, "Well, now I'm definitely going to have him skating like a pro before I leave. That's my goal."

"That's really awesome, you two." Adrien nodded at them. He took Marinette's hand, pulling her to the edge of the group.

"Yeah, you'll have to get a video of Markov's skating lessons for the rest of us." Marinette nodded. "We need to run by our lockers, but we'll catch you all inside, okay?"

The group nodded collectively and let them leave before surging back around Max and Alix, asking questions.

Adrien dropped her hand once they were inside the school, but the way he moved in sync with her still made her heart pound. He opened the door to the locker room, grinning, "You know, Max is incredibly clever."

She left him by his locker, to put away her own unneeded books. "Yeah, he's really going to go far."

"Do you know if anyone likes him right now?"

Marinette saw him wince as though he'd meant for the question to come out more casually than it did. She made a quick decision to pretend she hadn't seen it and see where the conversation led. "I don't know for certain, but he and Sabrina spent a lot of time together at the fair, didn't they?"

"They did." He agreed, frowning.

"And they would be very cute together." Marinette shrugged, "But I don't know if their interests are actually that similar, or if that's just the first time they ever got to talk to each other about them."

He looked at her, seemingly having figured what he wanted to know, and smiled. "You know, I wasn't paying very much attention at the time, but I think you're right. Maybe he does like her."

"Were you going to help set him up with someone?" She asked. When Adrien looked surprised, she shook her head, "Nino told me about the time you hid in the bushes to help him with me."

"Oh, no. Not this time." Adrien chuckled, rubbing his shoulder. "If he ever asked me, I might, but I mostly just wanted to know what your feelings for him were."

"Why?"

"Well," He trailed off, "I guess, I'm just curious to know how you view most of our classmates. I mean, I know Alya is your best friend and you and Chloe have some issues."

He laughed at the look on her face, "Okay, maybe you and Chloe have subscriptions, but, well, you seem to be at least friendly with everyone else. I guess I just wanted to know how you went from being so lonely to so close to everyone."

There was something about the way he rubbed his shoulder, the look of uncertainty in his eyes. He's lying to me. Marinette realized. She felt unnerved. She'd never known Adrien to lie before, and she couldn't begin to imagine what he was lying about now. Then it hit her. Cat Noir had wanted to tell Adrien his identity.

She nearly rejected the idea as soon as she'd had it. There was no way Max could be Cat Noir. He'd been the Gamer, and Cat Noir had been rescued her from him just after she and Adrien had spilt apart.

But what if he'd teased Adrien with his identity to see if the model was smart enough to figure it out on his own and to lay down plausible cover stories for him? That would explain Adrien's sudden interest in the boys in their school.

If she was right, she was going to murder Cat Noir. It was such a stupid, fool-hardy plan and exactly the kind of thing he'd come up with. The worst part about it was that there were only two people who could confirm her suspicions, and one of them she didn't want to ask in case she was wrong. The other almost made a case for himself by being impossible to get a hold of without some kind of emergency, waiting until their next patrol or sheer dumb luck.

The only thing to do was to keep a close eye on Adrien and the questions he asked, not just of her, but of everyone else too. She would have to figure out her partner's identity before he did and throw him off track somehow, saving both the guys in her life from Cat Noir's foolishness. How safe Cat Noir would actually be with her knowing his identity was debatable, but she was certain it better than a civilian knowing, even a civilian like Adrien.

"Marinette?"

"Sorry, I was lost in thought."

"Sorry I lost you." Adrien grinned and rubbed his shoulder again, "We should really get moving before the bell rings."

"Right." She followed him up the stairs to their first class, but privately went back to her own dilemma. How much progress had Adrien made before she'd caught on to what he was doing? She shook it off. She'd figure that out, somehow, and she would find out who Cat Noir was first. After all, she knew her partner better than Adrien Agreste did. Didn't she?

* * *

 **Hey all,**

 **I'd much rather reply to these things privately, so I don't spoil anything for anyone who wants to figure it out for themselves, but as I got several guest reviews on it and have no way to privately respond to them, an author's note is my next best option. For anyone who wants to figure out what the Chinese phrase was in the last chapter themselves, please skip over the rest of this paragraph. For everyone who couldn't figure out or who just want to confirm their suspicions, it's a transliteration of the last chapter's title.  
Also, since it has come up, it's worth mentioning that I don't always translate sweet nothings between characters. This is not meant to be frustrating, but to share in the same romanticism the characters are feeling at someone expressing affection without the need for translation. That said, as someone who has to know everything that's going on in its entirety, I will always leave context clues or other hints as to what's being said that I haven't translated.  
I hope this helps.**

 **And since season two has finally finished, and season three seems to be well on its way, there's something I need to own up too. I knew a lot of where this story was suppose to head from the start, and I still intend to end it that way. Unfortunately, this mean some canonical errors, particularly at the end. As someone who prefers to pre-warned that I am reading something that is AU or that will differ from canon, I am passing this warning on to you. The ending won't be canon, but I hope you will still enjoy the story.**

 **Cheers,  
SG**


	24. Identity Games

**Merry Christmas and other seasons Greetings to those who celebrate. To those who don't, I hope your day is still a good one.**

 **Cheers,  
SG**

* * *

Adrien studied Marinette. He watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest. He noted the way she idly rubbed her fingers along her thigh. He saw the cityscape roll by in her eyes as she focused on something in the distance that never quite got close. It wasn't hard to disrupt that reverie, however, not when it seemed to be rooted in anxiety. "Is it something I can help with?"

"What?" She looked at him.

"You haven't been yourself today, and I'm worried about you. I want to make sure you're okay."

"Oh."

"You don't have to talk to me if you don't want too, but I hope you will." He pressed. "Whatever it is, I'm here and happy to help."

"Thanks, Adrien." She smiled faintly and started to return to that faraway place she'd been all day. Then she paused. Adrien saw the idea forming, saw her melancholy burn away with glee. Whatever it was, he promised himself, whatever she asked, he'd do it. She twisted in her seat. "I know we have a test tomorrow, but do you think we could play a game before your piano practice, and study afterward?"

"Of course. What would you like to play?"

"A logic puzzle," She took a deep breath. "About the heroes."

"A logic puzzle about the heroes?"

"Yeah, Alya and I do them all the time." She waved a nervous hand in the air, "We just try to reason out who the heroes might be based on what we know of them."

Adrien froze.

She was not doing this. She wasn't seriously doing this. She knew who Ladybug was. What could she possibly have to gain by playing this game? Cat Noir's identity? But she had said she didn't want it. Did that mean she somehow knew something? Was it concrete or was she just suspicious? He felt like kicking himself for not being more on guard. Ladybug was going to kill him.

Then it hit him.

She played this game with Alya, knowingly, and hadn't yet betrayed Ladybug to Ladybug's knowledge. Surely that meant something, didn't it? Maybe this wasn't about what she knew, but what he did.

"Adrien? Do you want to play?"

There was only one way for him to find out.

"Sure." A small arc of energy shivered through his spine into his belly, making his skin come alive. He reveled in the thrill for only second before he started stamping down. "Why don't we grab a snack from the kitchen and then trade ideas for a little bit once we get home?"

Marinette bit her lip in a smile and nodded.

After a moment, she went back to looking out the window, but her entire demeanor had changed. Her breathing started alternating between deliberate slowness and rapid nerves. The gentle leg caresses gradually became a steady tapping. The faraway contemplation marched into organized planning. More than that, he felt her stealing glances at him, charging the air between them.

He exhaled slowly, as they pulled into the gate, trying to get his thoughts in order. "So, what would you like for our snack? We could do crepes, or bread and jam. I could even ask for tarte tatin, although,"

"Crepes sound wonderful."

The way she cut him off surprised him for a moment, then he grinned, thoroughly disarmed, "As Mi'lady commands."

Marinette giggled at his response, missing his wince. "Be careful, Adrien, or we'll have to start our Cat Noir search with you."

"Oh?" He climbed out of the car and offered her a hand. "And what do I have to do to convince you that I'm not Cat Noir?"

"Remind me that he was there when Volpina tried to kidnap you"

"It's that easy?"

She took his hand. "I'm not Alya."

"Fair point. Well then," He pulled her to him and looked into her eyes, still holding her hand, "Volpina once tried to kidnap me, and I was only saved thanks to the combined efforts of the noble Ladybug and the rascally Cat Noir."

Marinette nodded, her mouth falling open as she studied him. Adrien found that her parted lips, a pale pink in shimmering lip gloss, drew more of his attention then they should have. It took his bodyguard grunting at him for him to break away from her and close the car door.

Without looking at Marinette again, he led the way inside. Natalie was waiting for them. "Any homework today, Adrien?"

"Not today, but Marinette and I have a test tomorrow we would like to study for."

"Alright. Your father would prefer for you and Marinette take your gouter in your room. You are then to practice your piano immediately after until at least eighteen then break for dinner. Again, it is preferable that you take it in your room for today as,"

"He has a meeting?"

"One tonight at eighteen thirty with a few of his technical designers and their production manager, and another on Thursday with the same group." She nodded. Then she lowered the tablet she'd been clicking on to look at him, "He's just trying to be cautious, Adrien,"

"I know." He cut her off. "I know. He hates to remind people that I'm here in case an akuma hits one of them."

"Yes, Simon Says caused him quite a bit of concern. I don't think he's forgiven himself that you were in both the studio and the house when he hit."

Adrien sighed.

A feather light touch brushed his inner arm. He looked back at Marinette to find her smiling at Natalie. "We'll be good, Natalie."

"Thank you, Marinette. What would you two like for your gouter?"

"Crepes, please."

"Berry or chocolate?"

"Chocolate." Adrien replied. Subconsciously, he took Marinette's hand as she started to let it fall away from him. He looked at her, "Is that okay?"

She nodded.

"I'll bring them up as soon as they're ready." Natalie dismissed them. "Let me know if you would like my help studying for your test after dinner. If I can get away from the meeting, I'll come immediately. If not, I'll be up as soon as the meeting is over."

"We will. Thank you again, Natalie." Adrien replied. He let Marinette go once they were upstairs, and he'd closed the door behind them. "How about you take the couch, and I'll grab my desk chair. We can talk while we wait."

"Sure."

"Should I grab some paper? Do you want me to record any of this?"

"No, it's just a game after all." She replied forced casualness.

He grinned privately. So, whatever it was that she wanted, she thought she could get it in one game. He pulled his chair over, "Alright then, how do you want to start?"

"Well, Alya usually goes person by person of the people she knows, comparing voices, schedules, abilities, that sort of thing, but college History books aside, I don't really think that's the best way. There are thousands of people in Paris, so the likelihood that one of us would actually know even one of the heroes isn't that high. Right?"

"Right." He nodded. The irony of Marinette making that statement when he knew that she knew both of her heroes wasn't lost on him.

"So, what if we focus on what we know about the heroes instead, then we can see if they sound like anyone we know."

"That sounds really reasonable. So," Adrien tapped his chin, "Ladybug is beautiful. She's got hair like midnight and iridescent blue eyes."

Marinette blinked at him, wide eyed and pink cheeked.

Adrien forced himself to laugh, "What, you can dream of kissing Cat Noir, but I'm not allowed to spout poetry about Ladybug?"

"Oh." She shook her head, "Be serious, Adrien!"

He paused. There was something familiar about the way she said that, but something off about it too.

He shook himself free of the sensation. Right now, he needed to focus on the game. "Right, sorry. Ladybug has dark hair and blue eyes."

"But the whites of Cat Noir's eyes are green. I think if he had that as a civilian, someone would notice."

"That's a good point, and Ladybug's hair also went from short to long when she became a mermaid. So, should we assume that they can change their appearance pretty dramatically when they need too?"

"I would." She agreed.

He saw the faint drop of her shoulders as she said it. She was relaxing. Did that mean Ladybug kept pretty closely to her natural appearance? He chastised himself for the thought. He wasn't trying to figure out who Ladybug was, not yet anyway.

"Okay, so we have to look at their personalities then." He frowned for a moment, trying to decide just how much he was willing to reveal for the sake of looking observant. Finally, he opted to play it slow, building as he needed to. "I would describe Ladybug as fierce and determined. She would also have to be very clever to save the day with the random lucky charms she's granted."

"Fierce, determined, and clever. So, someone like Alya?" Marinette offered quickly, "She's very persistent, especially when she's after a scoop, and we know she's brave."

"Alya doesn't improvise well enough. Once she gets an idea, she gets stuck on it pretty hard. It's probably great for being a reporter, but it's not Ladybug." Adrien shrugged. "She could be someone like Kagami though. I don't know how often you've seen her fight, but she's always on the offensive, and she takes advantage of every opening."

Marinette shook her head, "I don't think Kagami likes people enough. I mean, I think she'd be a great hero because she fierce, and I'm sure she's very clever, but she's also very, well?"

"Sardonic?"

"Basically, yes." Marinette nodded almost apologetically, "Besides, we know she can't actually be Alya or Kagami because they were Lady Wifi and Riposte."

"Right."

"Do you have any other good candidates?"

Adrien racked his brain and replied honestly, "If Alix hadn't been Timebreaker, I might."

Marinette nodded and took a deep breath. "I thought of her too, but we have to discount anyone who has been akumatized."

"What about Mireille?"

"Mireille Caquet? She seems pretty shy on the surface, but I don't really know her well enough to say."

"Me neither," Adrien admitted. "I just know she hasn't been akumatized yet."

Marinette thought it over, "I think we should probably just admit we don't have any solid theories yet if that's our whole case."

"Yeah, that seems fair."

"So, what about Cat Noir?"

"Cat Noir?" Adrien rubbed the back of neck to settle his nerves. "I always just skim over what the Ladyblog says about him, so I don't know a lot, but, well, he's, uh, kind of cool?"

If she kept looking at him like that, she was going to see through him. He needed to gain and maintain control of the conversation from here out. "I mean, I've heard that he's pretty cool. People like him."

"He's pretty cool." Marinette tested the words slowly. Adrien's heart sank a little when she shook her head. "I haven't heard that."

"Sorry, I guess,"

"I know a lot of girls find him attractive though."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean he's not a model or anything, but," Marinette went scarlet, "Oh! I didn't mean that a lot of girls find models attractive. I mean! They do, but I didn't mean it in a weird way! Like in a you-being-a-model way. I mean, I know a lot of people find you really attractive too, but that's not what I was trying to say! I just meant that Cat Noir is really hot, he's just not as hot as someone like, yo- I MEAN MODELS! When the models are hot, I mean,"

Adrien laughed so hard his abs hurt.

He was still chuckling when Natalie rapped on his bedroom door. She brought in a tray with the crepes and two glasses of milk on it. In a rare moment of humor, as she sat the tray on the table between them, she quirked an eyebrow up at him. "Remember that breathing is important, Adrien."

He lost it. By the time he'd gotten himself back under control again, Natalie had vanished, leaving behind a furiously blushing Marinette. "Um, she said we need to eat quickly, so we can get to your practice."

"Right," He grinned as he met her eyes, ignoring the food between them. "I believe we were discussing how attractive Cat Noir is."

"Fortunately, we already said we weren't basing this off looks." Marinette glowered under her pink cheeks.

As far as Adrien could tell though, it was the same petulant playfulness that Ladybug usually reserved for him, so he didn't take it to heart. In fact, it reminded him of a rather obvious detail he could give about himself, "I've heard he's funny. He makes a lot of jokes and he seems to like teasing people."

"He does. At least, as far as I've seen of him, and you're right about people liking him. He's known for being very friendly." Marinette nodded. She turned to him sharply. "What else do you know, Adrien?"

"He's protective of you." It tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"Of me?"

"Well," Great way to gain control, Agreste, he thought, but her obvious surprise gave him the minute he needed to collect himself. "You said he rescues you a lot."

"Not any more than anyone else."

Adrien thought about that. He wanted to argue, but he had no good reason to. "So, you honestly think you're just another civilian to him?"

"Do you have a reason to believe otherwise?" She was watching him closely.

Too closely. He sighed softly and shook his head, "No."

"I don't think you're wrong about him being protective in general though." Marinette frowned. "He does look after people a lot and he's always willing to help, which reminds me of someone."

Adrien swallowed hard, but before he could again remind Marinette about Volpina, she took a deep breath and pressed on. "Luka."

"Luka!?"

"Yeah, Luka. He is cool, which you said you heard. He likes to tease his friends and family. He's very friendly." Marinette shrugged. "He's also tried to protect me once before he even really knew me."

Adrien made a silent apology to his friend, and then heaved him as far under the bus he could throw him. "I think you're really on to something there. Luka and Cat Noir have never been in the same place before have they?"

"Not that I know of." She replied looking away from him.

"It would also make a lot of other things fall into place, wouldn't it? Luka knows that Tom Dupain is your father and that you two are close. He also would have known all about the project because of Juleka, so he'd have known that I was the best candidate to look after you. He knew we'd be together all week."

"Wait, when Cat Noir asked you to look after me, he knew about the project?"

"Yeah, he said something about Mother Midas. I don't remember exactly what it was, but looking back, it was pretty flimsy."

"So, you really believe that Luka is Cat Noir?"

"Definitely." He nodded. "I mean, out of everyone I know, he's definitely the only person I know it could be."

"Okay. So, Luka is our Cat Noir." Marinette smiled, but he could tell her enthusiasm was fake. "Should we keep this to ourselves in case we're right?"

"Definitely." He nodded, cutting into one of the crepes.

Adrien felt he could share in Marinette's disappointment. He hadn't lost anything that he could tell, but the clues he'd gained had also been pretty vague.

Ladybug's civilian form probably mirrored her original superhero form, probably. But he couldn't do anything with that yet, not unless he wanted to know who she was the next time he got brainwashed.

If he understood her ramblings right, Marinette thought he was attractive, both as Cat Noir and as himself. That was flattering, but not particularly useful.

She also now thought Cat Noir was Luka. His only real win of the game. Although, it wouldn't be a win for Luka if something happened to Marinette, she revealed her thoughts about Cat Noir.

There was something else too. Something that he'd promised himself he'd come back too, but now he couldn't remember what it was. He sighed. If it really was that important, he'd remember it eventually.


	25. The Mourner

"I really, really hate lying to Adrien." Marinette repeated for maybe the fifth time that night, tapping her toothbrush against the bathroom sink. She needed to just finish her nightly routine and head to bed, but anxiety kept breaking her concentration. She sighed, "But Cat Noir didn't leave me with much of a choice, did he?"

Tikki, from her perch on the edge of the decorative soap basket, shrugged patiently, "For what it's worth Marinette, I think Adrien understands."

"Understands?"

"Sure, if it's Adrien's job to guard Cat Noir's secret, then he would probably understand you lying to him to protect it," Tikki smiled. "He might even try to do the same thing."

"Maybe." Marinette conceded. "Is there any way to tell if Cat Noir got my message?"

"You would have to transform to check, but I really think it'll be okay."

"How, Tikki? If Cat Noir told Adrien his identity, it'll put them both a risk!"

Tikki's eyes dropped, "I don't know why Adrien is keeping a list, Marinette, but I'm positive that if it pertains to Cat Noir's identity, then Cat Noir's real identity isn't on it."

"So, you don't think they know each other?"

Tikki sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I'm sorry, Tikki. I promise I'm not trying to figure out Cat Noir's identity, I just want,"

A thunderous pounding reverberated throughout the Agreste mansion, smothering all other noise. Vibrations strong enough to flicker the lights sank deep into Marinette's bones. She gasped, feeling her heart race a little more with each strong pulse.

The lights gave out just before the pounding stopped.

Marinette bolted for her bedroom door, scrambling over the top of her bed when she hit it rather than trying to maneuver around it. The windowless antechamber beyond her room was completely devoid of light, but it was only three long strides to reach the opposite wall. She fumbled for the door that led out to the wall walk. Falling through it, she hit the steps and stumbled down them, just barely managing to stay upright.

Seeing no immediate threats in the shadowy courtyard below, Marinette sprinted around the wall walk and climbed over the short railing to the front gate. She moved to the edge and crouched.

Half of the street before her was dark, suggesting that something had damaged the power grid. Beyond that, the only indication of a problem Marinette could see was the flashing of car lights.

She went quickly over possible culprits in her head: a long range akuma, a moderately sized earthquake, or an explosion of some kind. If it was the first one, Ladybug would definitely be needed. If it was one of the other two, she might still be able to help, but her absence would be much harder to explain if it was noticed. She was willing to risk that if it meant helping people, but she didn't want to do it needlessly.

Marinette tried to look further along the skyline. Nothing in her field of view jumped out as being wrong. No smoke clouds, no broken buildings, no pied zealot loudly proclaiming personal injustices. Just a semi-darkened street and flashing car lights.

Something was off though. She felt it.

Marinette exhaled slowly, willing away her anxiety so she could better focus on her environment. She felt the hardness and mild warmth of the smooth stone beneath her. She smelled the fragrance of Paris; a mixture of car exhaust, people musk, and sun-warmed buildings with distant hints of the Seine. Visually, car lights flashed, the couple of street lamps that had survived the power outage glowed, and the leaves of nearby trees waved.

She didn't hear anyone screaming or calling for help. There was no sound of running footsteps, no maniacal laughter. There was no sound of anything.

At all.

Someone grabbed at Marinette from behind, pulling her backward. She twisted hard and slammed upward, catching her captor in the torso with a firm shoulder and spinning them both back away from the gate's edge. One arm circled around her as her assailant tried to keep a hold of her. She latched onto it and pulled as hard as she could across her body, flipping her would be assailant over her shoulder. Without pausing to look, Marinette scrambled to pin him. Cat Noir caught her wrists as she went for his throat.

It was Cat Noir beneath her. Probably he'd been trying to save her, but now he gaped up at her in surprise. Then his mouth slowly closed into a curled grin and his chest vibrated. His lips moved wordlessly. He frowned and touched his throat.

Marinette scooted off him. She tapped her ear and shook her head.

Cat Noir sat up and mouthed something else, his hand still pressed against his neck. Then he shook his head too. He reached for his staff and twisted some part of it, bringing up its small screen.

'This feels like the work of an akuma. Go inside and hide in your room. Ladybug and I will take care of it.' He typed.

She gestured to him, and with no hesitation he handed her the staff. 'Adrien?'

'Already hiding. Don't worry about him.'

She nodded, but before she could move, Cat Noir's focus shifted to something behind her.

While he'd distracted her, a car had pulled up, unheard in the radiating silence. Adrien's bodyguard was standing in the street, mesmerized by an encroaching darkness of lights flickering and failing one after another.

The world around them shook in that same pulsing vibration from before. Adrien's bodyguard clapped his hands over his ears. His mouth opened wide, and his face shriveled up in pain. He dropped to his knees.

Cat Noir stood.

The darkness was immediate and all inclusive. Street lamps, flashing car alarms, even the lights from the nearby windows, evaporated. Afterimages danced in Marinette's vision, and she felt Cat Noir's leg brush against her as he wavered.

"Listen as the Quiet Man did and share in his pain. He was loved until the very end, but only his grave remains," called a high whispery voice.

Marinette felt Cat Noir crouch down. His arms encircled her, pulling her tight to him. His leg pressed into her thigh. His breath fluttered her hair. He felt both stiff and warm. She was fairly certain, from both his rigid posture and raised shoulders, that he was trying to shield her.

For one painfully long moment, nothing more seemed to happen. Then, as the light spots finally faded, he jerked to his feet, pulling her with him. She tried to hold on to him, let him lead her, but that wasn't his intention. He turned her to him. Then she felt one of his arms go around her thighs just under her bottom as the other one bent her over his shoulder. She bounced against him as he lifted her.

Marinette had the sudden, distinct feeling of her weight being redistributed as Cat Noir took two long strides forward and leapt. She gasped and grabbed ahold of him, squeezing her mostly worthless eyes shut.

Clinging to him, she felt the propulsion of his staff hitting the ground and extending. She felt his body shift just before his landing drove her stomach into his shoulder. She felt the muscles in his back and shoulders move as he threw his whole body into running. Felt him jump again, the sudden shock of his staff hitting the ground and a giddy sensation of plummeting downward. Cat Noir shifted his weight back toward the direction they'd come from and landed with a faint wobble. Then he jumped, or maybe fell, another short distance without the use of his staff. He straightened and walked with an assured gait.

Marinette was completely disoriented. Where was he taking her?

She felt Cat Noir relax a little as he moved, so she wriggled, attempting to free herself. His grip tightened reflexively, then pausing, he deliberately loosened it. He took what felt like several long steps and gently tossed her onto something soft that smelled faintly of pomegranate, coconuts, and fresh linens.

Marinette sat up, wrinkling fabric beneath her, and inhaled slowly. She was in the corner of a large open area. There was no wind movement, but the air around her was decidedly cooler than it had been outside. Through a wall of barred windows in front of her, she could see the distant, light-polluted, Parisian skyline.

That was good. That meant that the akuma had a limited range on his lights out trick. His affected area might be huge, sure, but she could still find light to fight him in if she tried.

A spot of light danced around the room before it trained on her, blotting out the shadows. Turning, she found herself face to face with a grinning Cat Noir holding a flashlight. He handed it to her.

Marinette noticed three things as she played the light around the room. First, Cat Noir had brought her to Adrien's room and tossed her onto his bed. Second? uh, second, was that someone, probably Cat Noir when he searched for the flashlight, had left the cubby door on the right side of Adrien's desk open, and she could see that from where she was. In Adrien's bed. Finally, a small kwami sized object left a streak of red as it darted out of the beam of light behind her partner's head.

Reminded of her task, Marinette exhaled in relief. Cat Noir smiled and offered her a thumbs up.

She nodded. He pulled her to her feet and pointed toward the bathroom.

Marinette hesitated. She drew a slow 'A' in the air.

Cat Noir shook his head and gestured the other way, toward Adrien's open bedroom door.

"Listen as the Quiet Man did and share in his pain. He was loved until the very end, but only his grave remains." The ghostly voice had found its way indoors. The ground rumbled again.

Cat Noir crept around the edge of the bed toward the open door, and Marinette followed him with the flashlight beam.

"Listen as the Quiet Man did and share in his pain. He was loved until the very end, but only his grave remains." The voice was louder, closer than it had been before. The flashlight began to flicker.

Cat Noir bolted the rest of the way and slammed the door closed. He pointed frantically toward the bathroom. Marinette nodded, but she grabbed Adrien's desk chair on her way, and jammed it under the other bedroom door.

The flashlight went out before Marinette could lock the bathroom door. She took a moment to breathe. The akuma could darken and silence areas, but it had to have a more hostile power too. Something bad enough that Cat Noir had decided that rescuing her was more prudent than trying to fight the thing by himself.

A familiar weight settled onto her shoulder. Reaching up, Marinette felt Tikki press a small cardboard rectangle into her palm. It was an open matchbook. It took some fiddling, but Marinette got one of the matches lit. It was less light than the flashlight had been, but it was definitely better than nothing.

Tikki mouthed something to her. Marinette shook her head and cupped her ear. The kwami frowned. She darted toward the sink and pulled open a drawer. Coming up with toothpaste, Tikki wrote her message on the mirror.

'You're going to have to depend on Cat Noir a lot for this one.'

Marinette nodded. She shook the flame out and took a deep breath.

Tikki, Spots On. Ha! She didn't hear the whispered words or the usual crackle of magic, but she saw the flash of pink light in Adrien's mirror and felt the spreading warmth of the transformation.

Ladybug lit another match.

Movement in the mirror drew her attention. Something was on the door behind her being reflected. She turned. Dark fingers were pushing their way into the bathroom.

She recoiled, dropping her match. No time for another, she tucked away the matchbook and fled to the shower room. She scrambled up onto the bathtub, yanked open one of the windows, and threw her yo-yo. She felt it connect and pulled. The dark outlines that blurred past her were cut short as she crashed into a wall.

Breathless and dazed, she let go.

She dropped, hit the ground feet first, and spiraled over backwards. Pain blossomed in her skull, and her vision erupted into a brilliant haze. She gasped in air.

Slowly, the starless, wine-colored sky solidified, and the pain subsided. A dark shape loomed over her. Before she could react, both shape and sky disappeared in a blaze of light that, after a moment, coalesced into a screen.

'You okay?'

She nodded. The screen vanished, and Cat Noir took ahold of her wrists and hauled her to her feet. She stumbled into him, relieved to feel the familiar form of her partner. He held her until she could stand on her own.

Cat Noir reopened his staff, and quickly thumbed a message. He held it out to her, 'Did you rescue Marinette?'

She nodded again and pulled out her yo-yo. 'Barely. Can you see akuma? Know what it does?'

He nodded and traded his staff for her yo-yo so she could read while he typed. 'Adrien rescued. Couldn't find father or assistant. Mourner got bodyguard outside front gate.'

'Mourner name for akuma vic?' She switched weapons back with him.

'Looks like weird shadow thing. It touched BG with a lily & he vanished leaving headstone. Also, manipulates sound & light.'

So, death was this akuma's hostile power? Ladybug swallowed hard.

Cat Noir, his face eerily lit by his screen, was focused, not afraid. But he didn't have a reason to be frightened, did he? This wasn't the timeline Timebreaker had killed him in. Ladybug reached out to him, touching him lightly. He glanced up at her in response. The half-smile that played across his mouth helped ease her as he finished typing.

'Unless you want to call it different. Good news: been watching it. Doesn't react to noises, so it can't hear either or all sound really gone. Also, talks with its hands.'

She frowned and rolled her hand, a gesture for him to keep typing while she read over his shoulder.

'Phrase it repeats not said with mouth. Moves hands to say words. Think maybe it's LSF.'

'Would like to see it. Any ideas?"

He grinned and handed her his staff. Following the moving silhouettes of his hands, she saw him unhook a gun shape with a large barrel from his belt. He pointed it toward the ground, and produced a large, blinding beam of light.

The beam went out and he traded it to her for his staff.

'Handheld spot, full charge, point & squeeze.'

Before she could thank him, the voice drifted over to them. "Listen as the Quiet Man did and share in his pain. He was loved until the very end, but only his grave remains."

Ladybug looked up and saw a distorted shadow breaking away from the dimly mottled building. She felt Cat Noir lunge forward and saw his staff glinting as it extended. It hit the shadow somewhere close to its middle, and the shadow receded slightly. After a few seconds, it started toward them again. Cat Noir reeled back, his posture stiffening.

Ladybug held up the spotlight and pulled its switch.

Dark, elongated, limbs unevenly attached to a child sized body. It hovered low to the ground, unmoving and impaled on Cat Noir's staff.

The spotlight flickered. With frozen movements in the coruscating light, the Mourner raised a hand. Then the spot went out altogether.

"Listen as the Quiet Man did and share in his pain." What had previously been a declarative lament had become an angry wail. "He was loved until the very end, but only his grave remains."

The shadow lunged.

Ladybug grabbed her partner by the waist. Hooking her fingers into his belt she threw her yo-yo toward the roof. She had no idea how close the thing got before they were airborne, but as it hadn't managed to touch either of them, she honestly didn't care.

Cat Noir twisted, getting his legs around her and preventing the two of them from slamming full force into the side of the Agreste mansion. The sudden stop was still a little jarring, and for a few seconds, she was crushed between him and the wall, but she wasn't stunned. She exhaled, trembling with nervous laughter.

Cat Noir's chin brushed against her shoulder as he leaned hard to their right. He loosened his grip and patted the hand she held him with. She let him go. He dropped a few feet, then helped her down to the ledge he stood on.

As soon as she had her footing, Ladybug tried the spotlight. Nothing happened. It was possible that the Mourner had just drained the battery or broken the bulb, but more than likely he'd killed the light magically and it wouldn't work again until he was defeated. She pulled out the matches Tikki had found for her and struck one.

Cat Noir had been peering down into the backyard, nibbling his lower lip with a furrowed brow, but he looked up when the match flared. He twisted open the screen on his staff. 'Don't usually ask this, but will you let me go at this alone? You're at a serious disadvantage here.'

Ladybug shook her head. She held up a finger. She pointed at herself, pantimined walking with two fingers, then pointed at him.

He shook his head and took the matchbook from her. After lighting a match to replace hers, he offered her the staff. She quickly typed, 'Won't let you fight a killing akuma alone, but I can follow your lead.'

He reached over and typed, 'K, Want to see what else it can do before we see what your luck brings us?'

She nodded. Cat Noir shook out his match, then typed, 'hold onto me. I'll find you candle downstairs.'

Ladybug nodded again, and put away the matches. She grabbed his belt right next to the tail with one hand. Cat Noir adjusted the belt a little, settling her knuckles into a slight dip at the small of his back. After a short pause, he selected a window and led them into the dark mansion.

It wasn't bad. Not at first. The further they got from the window, though, the more oppressive the surrounding nothingness became. More than once, Ladybug contemplated using her yo-yo's screen to cut through the darkness, but she didn't want to risk the Mourner breaking it like he had the spotlight.

Cat Noir paused and turned toward her. He took her free hand and pressed it to a long round object. Then, still facing her, he took a step back, pulling her other hand downward.

Stairs, she realized, he's put my hand on the banister, and now he's telling me there are stairs.

Ladybug exhaled slowly, but nodded. Cat Noir waited for her to find the edge of the first step and get one foot on the second before he started moving again.

This was bad. This was one wrong move from rolling down a circular staircase, possibly taking her partner with her. And she wasn't sure how tight the walls were, but that would only matter to the two of them, not the Mourner. And he could be anywhere. If he popped up in front of them, Cat Noir stood a chance, but if he came from behind...

She pressed closer to her partner.

He paused and without turning, touched her thigh. It wasn't a halting gesture, not with how light it was. Maybe a questioning one? He patted her leg. He was checking on her.

She took another deep breath and nodded, her face ruffling his hair. He smelled like leather and coconuts, with faint under tones of pomegranate. She remembered Adrien's bed and briefly wondered if her partner and her dearest love used the same personal care products. The weird comparison at such an inopportune time cut her fear a little and made her giggle.

Cat Noir started moving again.

Clinging to the thought of Adrien made the rest of the descent easier. She remembered what it was like to rescue her prince. She warmed herself with images of his smile. She promised herself she'd invite Cat Noir to their wedding, if he promised to be happy for them.

At the bottom of the staircase, Cat Noir peeled her fingers off his belt and let her go. She immediately went for her matches.

They were in the antechamber that connected to her room and the wallwalk on the second floor. She moved to the outer door and pushed it open. The cool breeze put out her match, but she didn't mind. The flowing air and faint ambient light helped soothe her.

Cat Noir took her matchbook. He'd found a taper candle and an ornate handheld candlestick in the drawer of the accent table. He lit the candle and counted the leftover matches in the book. He frowned, drew another matchbook out of the drawer, and after consulting it, he handed her the candle and the new matchbook. He pocketed the used one.

She followed Cat Noir to the grand foyer and had a moment of elation when the light from her small candle reflected off of the marble in the gray and black room. Realistically, the room was too large for the reflected light to increase her field of view by much, but every centimeter made her feel a little more secure.

Cat Noir peered down into the darkness of the first floor. He focused on something, his expression shifting to concern. Before Ladybug could catch his attention to find out what was wrong, he jumped over the railing.

Ladybug took off around the stairs and immediately slowed when her candle flickered. She growled in frustration, not that that emitted any more noise than anything else had, and continued at a slower pace.

Cat Noir was kneeling next to something by the door to the kitchen. He no longer looked upset, just pensive. He summoned her over with a gesture.

As she drew closer, the object became apparent. It was a small gravestone. Fear carved into her belly. It could only be one of three people. She forced herself to walk slowly. Natalie, Gabriel, or Adrien?

Cat Noir pulled out his staff and started typing. He stood, and handed it to her. 'Houses like this usually have a backup generator, that may have been where she was going when he caught her.'

She. Ladybug knelt down next to the headstone.

Natalie Sancoeur.

"Listen as the Quiet Man did and share in his pain. He was loved until the very end, but only his grave remains." The Mourner was somewhere above them. Cat Noir looked up and then dragged Ladybug to the middle of the floor.

Ladybug pulled her yo-yo and moved to the side of Cat Noir. She followed his gaze and aimed just above where she thought the bannister should be. She threw in a sweeping arc by twisting her wrist and following through the rest of her body. In her other hand, the candle guttered with the sudden movement.

The yo-yo hit something, wrapping around it. Instinctively, Ladybug pulled. The candle flickered and flared, revealing a body hurtling towards them. The Mourner phased out of her yo-yo at the same time Cat Noir yanked Ladybug to the side, guttering her candle again.

Ladybug saved her light by dropping her weapon to wrap her hand around the candle. When she got the light steady, she looked around, but the Mourner had withdrawn. She tapped Cat Noir's arm and pointed to her yo-yo.

Cat Noir nodded in understanding. He approached the yo-yo slowly, sideling toward while he tracked a moving object.

Wait, was the Mourner still in the room? But that didn't make sense. Did it? Why wasn't he attacking? Why was he just letting Cat Noir get her yo-yo back for her? Why didn't he extinguish her candle?

Focusing on Cat Noir, Ladybug realized that the Mourner was hiding in the shadows on the other side of him. Her partner leaned forward, then leapt back away from the yo-yo without retrieving it. His movements illuminated the Mourner for a brief few seconds. The akuma victim froze, his lily still extended. Then her partner landed, eclipsing the light once more.

Well then.

Ladybug held the candle above her head, and kept her pace steady but easy as she went to retrieve her yo-yo. The Mourner didn't interfere.

She summoned her Lucky Charm immediately, and wasn't surprised when she was given a lantern full of kerosene.

She opened up her yo-yo. 'Can you keep him safely distracted in here?'

Cat Noir nodded.

'Give me minute and a half, then destroy dining room wall.'

Cat Noir nodded again, and sprinted off into the darkness.

Ladybug headed for the dining room. She hurried around the table as fast as she felt she could without endangering her light. When she reached the fireplace, she set down both candle and lantern and looked for firewood. She found it behind a subtly hidden panel.

She stacked the wood as she'd seen her father do in his stove, then smashed the glass part of the lantern on the wood, drenching it in kerosene. She picked up the candle and waited. The minute the wall vanished in a haze of darkness, she threw the candle into the fireplace and sprinted forward.

Light blazed to life around her. Ladybug jumped the table, using the last edge of it to propel herself over the shambles of ruined wall where the Mourner hovered, froze in place. She snapped the stem of the lily, releasing the akuma.

No more evil doing for you. She grinned, catching it easily. She released butterfly, then headed back to the fireplace. Reclaiming the metal handle and base of the lantern, she threw it into the air.

The return of light and sound was a relief. Then she heard the sobs coming from the grand foyer.

The Mourner was a little boy, who couldn't have been more than six or seven. Cat Noir and Natalie Sancoeur were both crouched next time him, watching his hand movements. Cat Noir shook his head and looked helplessly up at Ladybug. Natalie surprised them both by signing back.

The little boy threw his arms around her. Natalie accepted this, and looked up at the superheroes. "He says he misses his grandfather. The rest of their family are all hearing, but the two of them weren't. Since his grandfather died last week, he's felt very alone."

"Poor kid." Cat Noir shook his head.

Natalie stood, lifting the boy in her arms. "Ladybug, Cat Noir, if the two of you will permit it, I would like to take this child home. It's clear to me that he can tell me where he lives easier than he can tell either of you, also,"

She took a deep breath, "Also, I would like to talk to his parents. I have a cousin who works at the local school for the deaf, and I would like to pass her information on to them. If he's feeling lonely in a hearing world, maybe having the chance to make other non-hearing friends will help."

"Of course, and thank you for seeing him home." Ladybug nodded.

Natalie nodded and gestured toward the front door. The heroes took the hint and left together.

When they reached the street, Ladybug turned to Cat Noir. "There's a conversation I need to have with you, the sooner the better."

"Want to meet up later tonight?"

She shook her head, "It doesn't have to be in person. Transform around one, and I'll call you then. Okay?"

"Sure," He nodded. "Want to give me a clue as to the topic of the conversation though?"

Stepping in close to him, she whispered, "Marinette said Adrien is keeping a list. She thinks it's of Cat Noir potentials. She said she's tried to mislead him, but she's still concerned. I told her I would talk to you and we would handle it."

Cat Noir blinked several times. Then he nodded. "Alright, I'll talk to you tonight."

* * *

 **Hey all,**

 **Sorry for going MIA. Somewhere in the middle of January, I realized I wasn't really working on most of my current creative projects, and just needed a break. Thanks for understanding.**

 **Also, a special thanks to my brother and RoseySparrow for helping me with this chapter.**

 **Cheers,  
SG**


	26. Misled

Plagg would not stop laughing.

Adrien rolled his eyes, "It's not that funny."

"No, it really is." The kwami choked out. "You two are so close and yet so completely obvious."

"Just help me figure out what I'm going to tell Ladybug." Adrien growled, "How do I talk about the list when I shouldn't know anything about it?"

"Oh, that's easy." Adrien waited for Plagg to finish, but the kwami only grinned at him. Finally, he sighed and rolled his hand. Plagg shrugged, "You don't."

"Plagg!"

"What? You're not supposed to know anything about the list, right?"

"Right."

"So, don't know anything about it. Let her talk about the list, and find out what she knows. Maybe she'll actually give something away."

"There's something to that." Adrien plopped down into his desk chair. He leaned back, his eyes straying again to his bed. "I still can't believe Marinette. She completely fooled me this afternoon. I thought she was trying to trick me out of Ladybug's identity."

Adrien only caught the end of Plagg's muttered response. "-one that."

"What?"

"What what?"

"You said won that."

Plagg opened his mouth, seemed to think the better of it, and replied. "Yeah, that's _totally_ what I said."

"Plagg." Adrien stretched out the word in a lower tone.

"What? I mean, she did outsmart you. You thought the conversation was going to be about Ladybug, and the whole time she was trying to steer you to Luka. And she succeeded. Then, she nearly got the best of you in that fight tonight."

"I didn't expect to fight with her." Adrien shook his head. He looked up at his companion, "I thought I was rescuing her. She was pretty amazing though, wasn't she? I had no idea she capable of that kind of thing."

Plagg sighed.

"Relax, Plagg. I'm still very much in love with Ladybug, I just," He looked at his bed again. It was far too easy to remember Marinette sitting on it. Her fingers curled into his quilt with one knee raised. Her expression, far from afraid, had been completely focused on his windows and the horizon beyond them. Then there was the way she'd tried to help him out by blocking the path to his other door. "I'm just impressed."

"Yep. And we can't think of anyone else who regularly impresses you." Plagg replied, rolling his eyes. "Speaking of your lady love, isn't it about time?"

"Right. Plagg, Claws Out!"

Cat Noir raced up the smaller of his ramps and sat with his back against the nondescript white wall. He settled himself to wait, but Ladybug didn't take long.

"Cat Noir?"

"Hey Bugaboo!"

She sighed, "Focus, Kitty. This is important."

"Right, so Marinette thinks Adrien Agreste is after my identity?"

"That's what she's worried about."

"You said, she tried to mislead him?"

"Yes. She used the description Adrien gave her to fit some friend of theirs she knew couldn't possibly be Cat Noir and he seemed to buy it."

Cat Noir feigned surprised. "My description just happened to fit a boy they both knew?"

"What are the odds, right?" Ladybug shook her head. "I have to ask, Cat Noir, because Marinette told me you wanted him to know: you didn't put Adrien up to figuring out your identity, did you?"

"No, I didn't. Marinette said she didn't really trust him, and so I agreed to wait until we found someone we could both trust."

Ladybug pursued her lips, but didn't comment. Her reaction surprised him. He might be impulsive, but to his knowledge he wasn't known for being particularly dishonest. Although, that thought in and of itself did trigger another, "Is Marinette sure she didn't give him the idea herself?"

"Why would she do that?"

"Maybe it wasn't intentional. They've been together for at least a week, maybe they talked about me or something, and that inspired him to figure out who I was." He wondered if Marinette would admit to Ladybug that she'd dreamed of kissing him.

Ladybug seemed to consider this, and then a sudden thought dawned on her face. "I can ask. I can actually ask her right now."

"You don't think you'll wake her?"

Ladybug grinned at him, "She was pretty anxious about the whole thing. I bet she isn't asleep yet."

"So, she can outsmart Adrien, is a pretty adept little fighter, but she's also super anxious." He shook his head, "That girl is so much more of an enigma than I ever realized."

"She's not that mysterious once you get to know her," Ladybug replied, focusing on something to her left. "But she'd probably be flattered you called her that. Okay, she says no."

Not that mysterious once he got to know her. Prior to this week, he'd felt like he'd had a pretty good handle on who Marinette was, but Ladybug clearly knew her better. If he wasn't had-seen-them-in-the-same-place positive that Alya and the other girls in his class weren't Ladybug...

"Wait, you just jogged her memory on something." Ladybug's eyebrows lifted and her mouth opened into a perfect little 'o', the paragon of feigned surprise. "She thinks you might be right, and she might be why he's keeping the list."

"Did she say what she did to inspire it?"

"No, she didn't." Ladybug replied a little too quickly. It was difficult to tell in the screen's lighting, but Cat Noir thought Ladybug's cheeks might have gone pink. He guessed that Marinette had told her everything, but Ladybug wouldn't betray her secret any faster than she would betray Ladybug's. "But she says that if it was her doing we don't have to worry."

"If it was? That sounds like I should still talk to Adri-,"

"NO!"

"No?" It was so hard not to tease her.

"No, if it was Marinette's doing, then she should be the one to fix it. Right? Otherwise, Adrien might figure out that something's up with our relationship to her."

"That's a good point." Cat Noir grinned. "I'd be a little worried, but from the sounds of it, she's already outsmarted him once today. I'm sure she can do it again."

Ladybug made a face at that. "She didn't really outsmart him. She just played with an advantage he didn't know she had."

"That's fair." Cat Noir couldn't help himself, "Does she have any other advantages that she can pull on him as their game continues?"

Ladybug thought about it. "None that I can think of."

"But she is ever full of surprises." He nodded. "Alright, well. Please tell her I have a vested interest in what she's doing, so if she thinks she needs help, she should call me."

"And how would she do that, Cat Noir?"

"She'll be at the Agreste mansion for the rest of the week, right? I know which room was hers, because Adrien was in there looking for her when I got him out. Tell her if she wants to talk to me to put a little cat in the upper part of her window. I'll make sure to go by the mansion at least once a day to keep an eye for it and if I see it, I'll come by that night."

"You'd go out of your way to do that?"

"Like I said, vested interested."

Ladybug smiled at him, making Cat Noir almost wish he wasn't taking complete advantage of the situation. But then, Marinette had played her advantage thinking he didn't know any better, hadn't she?

"I'll tell her. Thanks, Kitty."

"Anytime, Mi'Lady."

"Goodnight, Cat Noir."

"Sweet dreams, Bugaboo."

The minute she was gone, he de-transformed. Then he grinned up at Plagg, "Score one point for Cat Noir."

Plagg laughed a that, shaking his head. "That's hardly playing fair, Adrien. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, but I actually feel a little guilty about it."

"Less proud."

"But I also figure that Marinette's been such a surprise, that I can't afford to play fair." Adrien replied, ignoring the kwami's comment. He paused, "Ladybug doesn't consider anything Marinette's done surprising. The last time we talked about her, Ladybug implied she didn't know Marinette well, but tonight she said Marinette's wasn't that much of a mystery once you get to know her. So, who would know Marinette that well?"

"I thought you were specifically trying to avoid figuring out who Ladybug is."

"Well, yes and no. You're right, I should wait, but we don't know how much Hawkmoth gets when he invades someone's mind. Maybe everything, maybe nothing. So I probably shouldn't go looking for clues, but I should make sure that the clues I have don't go anywhere in case something happens, right?"

"Adrien, I'm the kwami of destruction, and I'm well known for my mischief. Don't try your convoluted justification on me. Just say, you want things you know you shouldn't, and tell me how you plan on getting them so I can help."

Adrien glared at Plagg, but the kwami was right. "Ladybug knows Marinette, and knows her well."

"Right."

"Most of Marinette's friends are in our class."

"Right."

"But everyone in our class has been present for at least one akuma attack."

"They have?"

Adrien frowned at Plagg. "Everyone in our class has been akumatized accept for me and Marinette, and Ladybug was there for every single de-akumazation."

The kwami cocked its head, a grin spreading across his face. "So?"

"So, that means it can't be any of them."

Plagg's eye roll was so dramatic that he moved his head for emphasis.

Adrien threw up his hands, "What are you trying to lead me too?"

"Every. Person. In your class. Has been akumatized, except:"

"Me and Marinette."

"So, the most likely candidate from your class for Ladybug is?"

"There isn't one." Adrien enunciated the words harshly, glaring at his friend. "Look, I appreciate what you're doing for Ladybug, but I won't be misled a second time today, Plagg. Marinette was standing less than half a meter from me when Ladybug confronted Timebreaker. So, no. She can't be Ladybug either."

Plagg sighed in defeat. "Alright, Adrien. You win. There's nothing odd or wrong with what you just said."

Adrien shot Plagg another look, but in the end he sighed too. Plagg had called him on his justification, and now he was doing them both a favor trying to keep Adrien from the truth. Adrien really couldn't ask for more from his friend.

"I'm tired, Plagg." Adrien stood, and carefully tracked down the ramp. "Let's go to bed."

Standing before his bed however, Adrien had the sudden visual memory of throwing Marinette on it. He hadn't spent any extra time looking at her when he'd done it, but that didn't matter when he could still vividly recall how she'd landed flat on her back with a slight bounce.

He pulled his quilt off his bed, found an extra pillow, and slept on his couch. He didn't remember his dreams the next morning, but if he had, maybe he would have remembered the two Ladybugs to the one Marinette.


	27. Fitting Company

It was amazing to be so tired that Marinette could think about leaning her head on Adrien's shoulder and not flinch. She glanced over at him as they took their seats for their language class. He smiled at her, his expression soft, inviting, and very obviously exhausted. He'd gotten them some kind of fancy espresso to go with breakfast, but the caffeine boost had only just kept them awake and even now that was wearing off.

"Hurry, hurry, class. We have a special treat today!" Ms. Bustier called.

Adrien settled his bag between them on the seat so he could face her as he whispered, "She seems excited. What do you think our treat is?"

"I don't know." Marinette yawned.

"Well, I have a treat for _us_ before class starts." Adrien grinned and pulled a thermos out of his bag. He poured a dark liquid from it into its cap and offered it to her. "One more hour."

"Thanks." She breathed in the bittersweet smell of hazelnut coffee before she gulped it down.

"Adrien, Marinette, what is that?"

"Sorry, Ms. Bustier, it's just some coffee." Adrien replied, holding out the thermos for their teacher to inspect as she drew close. "I didn't think it would be a problem if we had it before class."

"Coffee?"

"Yes ma'am." Marinette nodded. "We were up late last night because of an akuma attack near Adrien's home."

"Oh." Ms. Bustier frowned. "Alright, but drink quickly and put it away."

They nodded in unison and inhaled the rest of the lukewarm brew. Adrien returned the thermos to his bag, and then moved the bag to his other side, scooting closer to Marinette in the process. So close, in fact, that he was almost pressed against her, and she once more considered leaning her head on his shoulder and falling asleep.

Ms. Bustier readjusted a small webcam on her desk, "Are we all ready?"

Marinette felt Adrien sigh in tandem with her. They glanced at each other in surprise, but the web call started before either of them could say anything.

"Hey everyone!"

"Hi Lila!"

"So Lila, where are you this week?" Ms. Bustier, as she often did, took control of the conversation.

"I'm in Atlantis!" The green-eyed vixen gestured toward the underwater seascape behind her.

Marinette's eyes went wide. She'd thought, just this once, that she might let whatever Lila said go. She was exhausted and didn't want to waste energy on the little liar, But... Really? Was she really starting out with Atlantis?

Marinette made a noise that was half sigh and half growl, but before she could do more, Adrien put a quieting hand on her knee. Marinette looked at him. Everyone around them looked anywhere from puzzled to harmlessly amused, but Adrien's expression could best be described as pleasantly guarded. There were faint traces of incredulity along his brow, however, that spoiled any amenability the expression may have offered. Could he really be just as aware and as tired of Lila as she was?

"Atlantis, Lila?" Ms. Bustier asked, frowning.

"Yes! The underwater hotel in Dubai? It's so beautiful here!"

"Oh right, of course."

"And you all will never believe what happened to me the other day." And with that Lila launched into a tale about befriending dolphins who led her to a whale that had been beached and was in desperate need of rescue. But it wasn't just any whale, no. It was a never-before-seen albino, crowntail whale that had the most beautiful opalescent sheen to its skin and lavender eyes.

Of course, Lila had led some of the hotel officials to the whale and helped them save it. And they had told _her_ that it was actually an undiscovered species. They wanted to name it after her, of course, but they didn't manage to get any proof of its existence because the only guy who'd been callous enough to go back for his phone instead of helping with the whale had dropped it into the ocean by accident. So all the pictures of the whale were lost.

Marinette gaped at the screen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adrien rub a hand over his mouth, pulling at his lower lip, his eyebrows knitted together. Noticing her expression, he grinned at her. Then he leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "She tells some really fantastic stories, doesn't she?"

Marinette nodded, but thanks to Adrien tracing idle, absent-minded circles across her kneecap, she lost all sense of the conversation. In that moment, Lila could have founded the first human expedition to Jupiter, and, looking into the gorgeous, grass, green eyes of her beloved, Marinette would not have cared. In fact, Lila should go build the bifrost or scuba dive the Mariana Trench or whatever.

"I notice you all have traded seats! What's going on? Anything special?"

"Yes! We're just doing a little group project here, and I'm having all the partners sit together."Ms. Bustier replied.

"Oh, that sounds like fun! I'm so sorry I'm not there for it. But then again, if I was, I'd only throw off your numbers. Also, I'd need to stay close to the front on account of my hearing, so my partner would have to sit with me unless it was someone like Adrien who usually sits up front."

Adrien's hand went still, "I'm afraid I'm with Marinette, Lila."

"How lucky for her, I'm sure you're a great partner! You must feel so fortunate, Marinette! In fact, it looks like all of you have had some luck with your partners! That's so great!"

"I would agree. I think we're all pretty happy about who we got paired up with." He nodded, but Marinette noticed that his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Oh good, you'll have to tell me all about when I get back! Or better yet, email me! You know I always love to hear from you all while I can't be there with you!" Lila looked up and to her right with huge doe eyes, as if she were listening intently. "I'm so sorry everyone, I have to go. My parents just finished up their lunch with some of the officials here, and they'd like to take me to Bollywood Park this afternoon."

"Bye Lila!" The class called together.

"Goodbye everyone!" Lila replied, "I look forward to talking with you all again soon!"

And with that she disconnected.

"Alright, class. I'm sure we all had a good time listening to Lila's story, but now there's another story we need to focus on." Mr. Bustier clapped her hands, "It's time for our test on Pride and Prejudice. So, put away your things. Adrien, Marinette, can you two separate a little more for me, please? Alya, Rose, you too."

There were a couple of questions on the test that gave Marinette pause, but over all, she felt it went well. From the light gossip outside the classroom as they all headed to lunch, it sounded like everyone else felt pretty good about it too.

"So, dude." Nino caught up to Marinette and Adrien while they waited for his bodyguard to come pick them up. "What did ya think?"

"It felt pretty easy."

"No, I meant about Lila. I caught what you said to her."

Nathaniel and Marinette both frowned at Nino, but Adrien sighed. "You know my feelings, Nino. I like Lila, but I get tired of her always criticizing Ladybug."

"It wasn't Ladybug you got defensive about, bro."

"Hm? Oh, that." Adrien shrugged a little sheepishly, "Well, how would you feel if she said something about taking Nathaniel's place without any consideration to the last week?"

Nathaniel looked surprised, "That was defensive?"

"For Adrien, yeah, it was." Nino laughed before turning back to his best friend. "And I guess that's fair. There've been some ups and downs, but overall it's been a pretty good week."

"Exactly."

"Oh, dude. There's your ride." Nino took a step back from them, "We'll see you when you get back."

"Of course. Do you need an extra controller or anything for tonight?"

"Nah, I'll let Nath here use Chris's controller and headset."

"Alright. Then we'll see you when we get back."

"He is a lot more closed off than I realized." Marinette heard Nathaniel comment as he and Nino trotted back up the steps.

Marinette waited until they were safely tucked into the car, and it had pulled away from the school before she asked, "So, Lila annoys you?"

"Not really." Adrien shrugged, "But she does make a lot of unfair comments about the heroes, doesn't she? Especially about Ladybug."

Marinette tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Well, with you defending her, I'm sure Ladybug wouldn't care what someone like Lila has to say."

"Lila's not all bad. She's probably just lonely." Adrien looked at her, "And maybe we handled it better than she did, but we've both been there."

"True." Marinette sighed.

After they were both quiet for a few minutes, Adrien shrugged again, "Anyways, I asked the chef this morning if he'd find us some kind of energy drinks for school. Natalie hates it when I drink them, but in situations like today, I think it's more than warranted. Don't you?"

"Definitely."

When they reached the mansion, however, Natalie was waiting for them outside. "I've just contacted your school, Adrien, and informed them that the two of you will be missing your next class. Your principal assured me that this would be fine and all either of you will need to do is contact your teacher when you get back."

"Father wants to check our costumes for this weekend?"

Natalie nodded, eyeing him warily. Adrien nibbled on his lower lip before he looked up her. Then he said quietly, "And we can't do them tonight, in case he needs to make changes. He'll want a chance to check them a second time."

Natalie nodded again still watching him. When he didn't say anything further, she asked, "Do you have any other questions?"

"No." He shook his head, "No. I'm fine."

"Good." Natalie gestured to the car, and Adrien held the door open for Marinette. Natalie got into the passenger seat, talking to Marinette as she did so. "I don't know if Adrien has told you anything about this process, Marinette, but you'll both try on the various pieces you'll be wearing for the shoot this Saturday. After that, I'll see to it that you're both fed, and we'll get you back to school. If there are any serious adjustments that need to be made, we'll return to the shop again later tonight."

"Oh, okay. Thank you."

The workshop was a single floor in a nondescript building. Natalie led Marinette and Adrien to an alteration room that had two curtained dressing rooms and two small dress platforms separated by a cedar shoji screen. Marinette counted five adults, not including Natalie. All of them were busy separating garments and setting out tools, but one of the two men looked up when they entered.

"Oh good. You all are here. Adrien, you'll be on the left side here, and are you our new model?" He held out a hand for Marinette. "What's your name, my love?"

"Ma-marinette."

"Oh, sweet girl. No need to be shy with us." He winked. "I'm Laurent, and my more decidedly, reticent co-worker here is Julien."

The other man gave her a two fingered salute without looking up from whatever he was doing with a measuring tape and tracing paper. Laurent sighed at him, and continued, "These two lovely ladies are Donna and Eloise and the little blonde there is our intern, Lisette. Now, Lizzy is going to be the one actually helping you into and out of your clothes, but I'll be the one going over your outfit. If anything either of us do makes you uncomfortable, Adrien, darling?"

Adrien turned to face her and very clearly quoted, "Tell him immediately. You don't have to worry about offending him, just let him know that something he did upset you. He never intends to make anyone uncomfortable, mind you, but sometimes when he's hard at work, he forgets it's people he's working on. So, if he's stressing you out, let him know."

Laurent laughed, "That's my boy. Alright, go strip down, and Julien will be in there to help you in about, Julien?"

"Bout two seconds." The other man nodded. He still didn't look up, but offered a hand for Adrien to high five as the teen walked past him.

"Excellent." Laurent turned back to her, "So, with that in mind, Miss Marinette, has anyone told you what to expect?"

"I didn't go into any detail, Laurent." Natalie cut in.

"Ah, no worries then. Just head over there to that dressing room, pull the curtain, and strip down to your under clothing. Lizzy will be in there in a minute with a dress and she'll get you anything you need to go with it, different style bra, a slip, whatever. Then she'll help you get the dress over your head. So make sure to wait for her each time, okay? Then we'll get you out here, put you on the stand, and see how it all looks. Alright, my dear?"

Marinette nodded and headed to the dressing room he'd indicated. There was something nerve wracking about pulling off her shirt and wriggling out of her jeans in a room full of people, even if none of them could see her. At least she didn't have to wait long for Lizzy to show up with a piece of black and green silk folded over one arm.

"Alright, Marinette, I'm going to start by taking out your hair ribbons. We might do something different with your hair once the dress is on, but for now I don't want any extra impediments. Okay?" Lizzy asked.

"Okay."

"Alright. Now," Lizzy held the cool silk against Marinette's skin. "Looks like we'll have to change your bandier for something strapless unless, are you comfortable going without?"

Marinette shook her head quickly.

"That's no problem. Let me just hang this up and,"

"Here, Lizzy." A woman's hand popped out from the other side of the curtain. "Try this one."

"Oh thanks," Lizzy grinned at Marinette, "Read our minds, didn't she?"

"That's what I do." The woman replied. "I'll be working on one of the other outfits if you need me. Don't need me."

Marinette, through her nerves, started to giggle. She'd never been on this side of fashion before, but she was grateful for the insight. Turning back to Lizzy after changing, she found the blonde woman standing on her tiptoes with the dress careful gathered.

"Ready?" Lizzy started to lower the garment over Marinette's head. "Oh, no. I'm sorry, Marinette, but don't try to help me. Just let me move you around a little or we're liable to rip something."

Marinette nodded and Lisette got everything settled, then pulled at some crisscrossing strings at the back of dress. "Hmm. Laurent, I'm already seeing a problem with how this is gathering."

"Okay, is she decent?"

"She is, I'll get her out."

"Good. Oh no! You're right. There's definitely something," He frowned and offered Marinette a hand, "Marinette, step up here, my love. I need consider you for a moment."

From the other side of the screen, Marinette heard Julien making likewise criticisms to Adrien. "You've gotten taller again."

"Sorry."

"You should be, and why isn't this?" Julien trailed off. Then suddenly he growled, "If I let this out in the shoulders, is it still going to fit you this Saturday or are you going to keep working out just to spite me?"

Adrien laughed, and Julien chuckled along with him.

Laurent continued to pluck at Marinette's dress frowning. "It's too tight, it has to be."

"If we make it much looser, the corset tie will look weird in the back." Lizzy countered

"I know, I know. I'm looking." He sighed, "Julien, come look, see what you think."

Marinette glanced over her shoulder so she could see herself in the mirror. The dress was a skater silhouette consisting of a black overdress attached to neon green underskirt. It had a dropped waist accented with green pawprints, a handkerchief hem, and a corset styled back that was bunching strangely. She reached back to touch it.

"Oh no, my sweet! Don't move too much, we're trying to figure this out."

"Could you try tying it looser with a flat ribbon instead of the silk cord?"

"Hmm?" Laurent looked up at her in surprise.

Julien nodded. "She might be onto something there. Hold on, let me see what I have in black."

"Alright, I'll go ahead and remove this." Laurent plucked at the cord, and then replaced it with the ribbon Julien brought. "Oh that does look better already."

"Whoa," Julien grinned. "Have we uncovered a model who actually understands a little bit about clothing? Adrien, you're fired."

Marinette felt her cheeks heating, but from the other side of screen, Adrien laughed, "She's not looking to be a model, Julien. She wants to be fashion designer."

"Oh? Then what are you doing up there? Come on, I'll show you the ropes of technical design and you can join me in harassing the Agreste kid."

"I don't think so. At least for this week, she's mine and learning my craft, thank you very much."

"Waste." Julien winked at her.

Marinette went scarlet. Did Adrien just? Did he really? And what was that with Julien? Between the salute and the teasing, she had to wonder if he had a little brother or nephew somewhere who was prone to running around in black leather and fighting crime.

Laurent rolled his eyes. "Quit your flirting and get back to your mini-me over there."

The younger man chuckled and held up his hands in surrender before disappearing back around the screen again. Watching him, Marinette realized that she could make out his and Adrien's silhouettes perfectly.

Shadow Adrien surrendered a piece of clothing from his upper body that looked too thin to be a jacket. Marinette swallowed hard and faced away from him. Was it wrong to watch him? It wasn't like she could see him through the screen. Just his shadow, right? Did that make it better or worse?

She stole another glance at him and heard clucking sounding. Laurent was smiling up at her but he didn't say anything. She blushed and turned again to the mirror, smoothing out the dress with her hands. Laurent clucked again, more disapprovingly this time, and pulled her hands away from the garment, giving her an exasperated look.

A door opened and closed behind Marinette and the joviality in the room quietly but quickly ended. Looking in the mirror, Marinette saw the woman previously identified as Eloise conferring with the tablet Natalie was holding. Julien called the two of them over first, and Marinette heard him going over Adrien's outfit, noting what would need to be fixed. Then Gabriel Agreste commended his analysis before making a few additional changes.

When the two women made their way over to Marinette's side, Laurent pitched his voice lower, more serious to talk to Gabriel. He didn't smile at all as he went over the dress, noting the way the hem fell and how the bodice fit. He pointed out the new ribbon and credited Marinette with the idea. Gabriel occasionally nodded his approval, and voiced fewer questions than he'd had for Julien, almost all of them too technical for Marinette. At the end of the conference, the only change was to be the ribbon, as it was clearly the wrong material, but other than that, everything was adequate.

As Natalie and Eloise walked away, Marinette heard the latter going over details for the shoot itself. Once the door closed behind them, there was a collective sigh.

"Hoo, I was worried there for a minute that we were going to be read the riot act about that ribbon you found, Julien." Laurent fanned himself dramatically.

"I know, I heard it coming." Julien chuckled and sighed, "Kid, I know he's your dad and you gotta love him but,"

"No it's okay. Even I smell sulfur in some of his silences." Adrien replied.

"Well, it's all good now." Laurent offered Marinette a hand. "Come on down. Lizzy will help you get out of that."

"Do I need to try on anything else?"

"No, not right now, my love. We have another outfit, that we'd normally have you try on, but it's not _quite_ done yet. But, since we have your measurements and a better idea of your body shape, It won't be hard to complete it without too many additional alterations. And let me say, personally, I'm glad Gabriel approves of you as Cat Noir and Adrien taking the place of Ladybug, because,"

"Hey, that's Mister bug!" Adrien interrupted, chuckling.

"Alright, Mister bug." Julien admonished. "Quit eavesdropping and let me get this shirt off you."

Laurent rolled his eyes again, " _Because,_ the Ladybug dress we are working on is a complete wreck. It wouldn't have suited you at all."

"You would have made a good Ladybug in general though, what with your coloring being so similar to hers." Lizzy held open the curtain for her. Then she winked, "C'mon, let's get you changed back into Marinette so Adrien can take you to lunch."

* * *

 **Hey all,**

 **There have been some fun questions popping up in guest reviews. I'm happy to answer all of these, but unfortunately, I'd rather not do that via author's note. So, know that if you sign in/up and PM me, I will do my best to reply in a timely manner and may even talk to you at great length on any questions you have so far, provided I'm not giving you spoilers.**

 **And as always, thank you for the continued support.**

 **Cheers,**  
 **SG**


	28. Past & Present

"MARINETTE LOOK OUT!"

"Don't worry, I've got it."

"Help! We're being attacked over here!"

"Dude, it's okay, that's intentional. I'm tanking and I keep hitting taunt. Just stay behind me and keep me healed, and you'll be fine."

"Nino, we're pressing ahead. Marinette is just flitting through the enemy right and left and it's way too easy for me to follow her with my teleport."

"That's your prerogative, dude. Don't come complain to Nath and me when you two get slaughtered."

"I won't. She just took out the enemy general."

"Whoa, seriously? How did you manage that, Marinette?"

"Sneak attack. Then Adrien distracted him so I could stealth again, and I snuck attack him again."

"What about all his minions?"

"I think they're headed your way because of your taunt."

"Whoa! Round over, well done everybody!"

"Thanks, man." "Thanks, Nino."

"Adrien, Marinette, do you mind if Nino and I take a short break for some food?"

"Not all, Nathaniel." Adrien glanced Marinette, tugging his headset off one ear. "It might not hurt to take a short break on our end too."

"Okay, so we're all going to be AFK for a little while? Should we just text you when we're done eating?" Nino asked.

"Sure." Adrien nodded, although his friend had no way of seeing it through screen.

"Alright, dude, we'll see you in a little bit. Marinette? Good job again."

"Thanks, Nino."

Nino changed his status, and his shielder was the first in the lobby line to go translucent. Nathaniel's healer shifted to AFK, swirled back in, and then shifted out again. Adrien changed his own status, and watched his sorcerer shift in tandem to Marinette's rogue.

He turned to her, sliding his headset down to his shoulders, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone build or use the rogue like that. I mean, sure they all take sneak attack, but almost everyone picks 'mug' over 'something I may need', and the few people who have been willing to drop the extra wealth for a luck based ability aren't nearly that effective with it."

"What can I say?" Marinette shrugged, looking a little nervous at the compliment. "I'm good with improvising."

"You really are. Have you played this often?"

"No, first time, but I've played similar games."

"Well, that explains it." He grinned. "Let's go grab something to drink while we're waiting for Nino and Nathaniel to get back."

She nodded and stood, but let him lead the way. "Do you mind if I ask you about something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, when we first got home for lunch, I got the impression that Natalie was expecting a fight from you, but you seem to like everyone at the workshop."

"Oh that." Adrien shrugged. "I love everyone at the workshop, and going there is one of my favorite parts of modeling, but I always try to balk a little bit at being pulled from class."

"Why?"

"Because you all are the first friends I've had my own age, and class is one of the few times I'm guaranteed to see you." Adrien willed her to understand. "I mean, yeah, I had Chloe, and I knew Sabrina in passing, but school was my first real shot at friendship. I try to object a little whenever this happens, so they won't pull me from class unless they mean it, but never so much that it gets taken away from me."

"I see." She still looked a little concerned.

"Those people you met today? I really do love them. They're my crew, and before they were mine, they were my mother's."

"Really?"

"Really. I met them all, well, all of them except Lizzy, when I was very young, back when Julien was still the intern, and they've been like family to me ever since. They were even there for me when my mom," Adrien's breath cut suddenly short. He remembered the sound of clothes ripping as he tried to step off of the dais in tears. He remembered the warmth of Laurent catching him and wrapping him in a shawl, hugging him tightly. Donna had rubbed his other hand, and Julien, his face at the forefront of Adrien's vision, kept promising him that everything would be okay.

Adrien took a deep, shuddering breath and turned away from Marinette. He forced himself to continue down the stairs without looking back at her. "Anyways, they're mine now, and they still look after me for her sake. They were her friends."

Marinette's touch on his back was feather light. He paused and, with another deep, fortifying breath, smiled up at her. Her expression was kind, comforting, but without pity, "So, is your mom the reason you got into modeling?"

"Yes, and no." He shook his head, "I'll tell you what, let's go ahead and get our juice, and I'll tell you whole story."

When they'd finished their errand, and were resettled on Adrien's couch, he turned to her. "So, this all happened when I was four, maybe five years old, but definitely before mandatory school age.

"I, um, I had a nanny, but because my," Adrien paused. Back then he'd thought of his father as his beloved papa, but now? He shook his head, "Because my father, technically does a lot of work from home, and mom did too, I still got to spend a lot of time with my parents. She was just there in background in case they needed an extra set of hands and for the weeks preceding a big show when my parents were at their busiest.

"Well, one day she got sick. Not bad sick, just 'don't spread the contagion to the boss's kid' sick, and couldn't come in. Well, unfortunately, this was right before some big event, so both my parents were busy, and the Bourgeioses were out of town, so they couldn't just set up a week long play date between Chloe and me.

"In the end, they decided to leave me with my father's assistant. He was pretty capable, so they weren't really worried, but they didn't realize that uh," Adrien shook his head, "He did not like kids.

"He was also pretty insulted that they were 'just pawning me off on him' when he was a professional assistant, not a nanny, so the first day did not go well. Nor did the next. On the third day, I apparently told him that unless he was nicer, I was running away, and he replied with 'Good riddance'. So, I ran away, and it took them several hours before anyone else even noticed I was missing.

"Meanwhile, Julien was sent out on a coffee run, as it was day three of very little sleep for my mom's crew. He saw me playing in a park with a little girl who was about my age, and no adult in sight. He came over to find out what was going on; asked me where my nanny was and where the girl's parents were.

"Apparently, her mom was watching from the window of their home and came out to intervene just before she heard him say that we should walk my new friend home and get back to my parents. I don't really remember much of that except that the girl's mom gave me a cookie for being such a 'perfect little gentleman' and agreeing to walk them both home.

"Anyways, Julien decided that I was more important than his errand, so he skipped it to bring me back to the workshop. My mother was crying when we got there. I didn't realize at the time, that it had anything to do with my running away, I just thought she was sad, so, I tried to give her the last part of my cookie to cheer her up."

"You really were quite the little gentleman." Marinette giggled.

"I tried to be." He grinned. "The rest is sort of in flashes. I remember something about Laurent wrapping a scarf around my neck and having Donna take my picture so I could be his newest model. I think because I had some kind of understanding that only models went to the shop? I do remember spending a lot of time with Julien after that. He kept giving me high fives and taught me how to do that," Adrien gave her the two fingered wave. "Wave, he does. He use to say it's the perfect amount insubordination, which was not a word I understood at the time, and not something Donna thought he should encourage."

"Donna?"

"Yeah, the same Donna that kept sneaking me candy from her pockets said that the intern shouldn't encourage me to be insubordinate. And Laurent," Adrien chuckled, "Laurent kept pretending to accidentally drop hats and scarves on his 'charming new hatrack'.

"It ended well, but after that incident, my parents decided they were never going to risk losing me again. They were easing up a little bit when my mom," Adrien took another breath and shrugged off the sense of loss. "Well, if I hadn't gotten Chloe's butler to sign me up for school, then proved I was serious about going by running away again, I'd still be housebound."

"Wow, I knew you worked hard to come to school, but," Marinette shook her head. Then she looked at up at him, "You said you didn't have a lot of friends before coming to school, does that mean the little girl?"

"I never saw her again, much to Chloe's displeasure."

"Chloe?"

"When she got back from vacation, I told her all about what had happened. At first, she wanted to know when we were going to go and meet 'our' new friend, but with the now super overprotective parents, the answer was never. Somehow that translated to her that the girl was trying to steal me from her, so she vowed vengeance." Adrien shrugged, "I sort of assume that she never got it though, as I've talked to her about it in years since, and she doesn't seem to remember any of it."

"That's good! I mean," Marinette threw her hands up at him, "I'm sorry you never saw your friend again, but having been one of Chloe's victims before, I'm glad she never found the girl."

"Me too."

They both fell awkwardly quiet, watching each other.

Adrien had no idea where Marinette's thoughts drifted too, but he focused on clearing his mind. He pushed away the happy memories that had been recolored with loss and focused on the present. He focused on the girl in front of him.

 _She's pretty._

The thought made no immediate impact. It simply wandered in, delivered itself as fact, and quietly left while he was still considering it. But it was true. She was pretty. To be fair, he had noticed it the first time she considered him without anger, staring him down in bewilderment as she took his offered umbrella.

Her eyes had been huge, and her cheeks had been flushed, and he had noticed that on an aesthetic level, she was a very pretty girl. But, they were just starting out as friends. Now, they'd been friends for a while, and she was a different kind of pretty. Without thinking about anything more than that moment and what had led to it, he said, "I'm glad Chloe was mean to you."

Marinette recoiled, startling him. Then Adrien realized what he'd said out loud, with no context of his thoughts, "No!"

"No, I'm sorry, Marinette! I didn't mean it like that! I was just thinking about the first time we met, about when she put that gum on your chair? and I just!" He shook his head, "I was just glad because even though you were mad at me, I don't think we'd be here now if she hadn't done it. I mean, maybe we'd still have been partners, but it would have been different. And,"

He looked at her, feeling like the world's biggest idiot, "And I like how it is."

Marinette was staring at him, and he would have given almost anything to know her thoughts. Then she giggled. The giggle turned into a laugh as she watched him. Then, in one fluid motion that defied her usual clumsiness, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I understand, Adrien. I'm glad we're friends too."

He touched the place where lips had met skin, and his previous thought returned with no sense of aesthetic detachment to it. She was _very_ pretty.

"Whoa, did I really just hear what I thought I did?" A small voice from near Adrien's throat gasped. "Alya is going to lose her mind!"

Adrien wrenched his headphones back onto his ears just in time to hear Nathaniel hiss, "Nino, shut up! He's clearly got a chance!"

Marinette went scarlet as she pulled back on her own headset. She also seemed to be suddenly focused on anything that wasn't him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she'd heard both remarks.

"Hey guys? We're back." Adrien growled, "Oh, and I'm turning on PVP."

On the other end of the connection, Nino cursed.


	29. Happy April Fools

**(This chapter posted April First. That is relevant.)**

* * *

Marinette woke up to frantic, but distant voices, the earthy scent of tree bark, and the clammy sensation of moisture. She stirred, raking against splintered wood that held her immobile. She could kick her feet, but something was wrapped around the rest of her body. She undulated slowly, trying to wriggle free. It was no use.

Panic began to rise with in her and then she heard a voice. "It's Marinette! Plagg, the tree has eaten Marinette! I can see her shoes!"

"Is it an akuma?" a nasally, mid-range, masculine voice demanded.

"I don't know!" Tikki shrilled. "Help! Help! Help!"

"Wait, Tikki, do you hear that? It sounds like someone singing!" The voice, Plagg, interrupted.

The voices of the kwami and her companion dimmed. When they returned, Marinette too, heard a male someone singing about water lilies. The singer paused and she heard footsteps. Then in a voice too low for her to make out the words, the singer started again.

The wood around Marinette creaked and tightened. She kicked her feet again. A repetitive wooden thwack echoed around her small space, and then someone grabbed her by the ankles pulled. The tree rippled around her, and, with a deafening crack, expelled her into the arms of her hero.

Marinette stepped back away from him as soon as she able to find her legs, and looked down at the man in question. He was short with a powerful body, old, but unendingly cheerful judging by his laugh lines. He wore yellow boots, a bright blue coat, and tattered hat with a long blue feather stuck in the band.

Before she could ask him anything, the tree behind her gave another crack, and something fell on top of her.

"Ack!" Marinette hit ground hard, coating her arms and knees in soft mud and dead foliage.

"Huh? Oh no, Marinette!" Adrien stood, and pulled Marinette to her feet. "Sorry, about that, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She stepped back from him, trying to scrap gobs muck of her knees and elbows. Adrien took one of her wrist in his hands, began to rub it vigorously clearing away the muddy streaks. That's when it hit her that Adrien had just fallen from nowhere on top her. If she waiting for sign from the universe, surely this was it.

"I'm glad you two are both free from the tree." Tikki chirped before Marinette could figure out to say to him.

"The tree? Oh hey, you're a kw-" Adrien grinned at Tikki, then he turned to Marinette, his eyes wide and voice pitched up, "Buggy! That's uh, a giant bug! Isn't it? A giant bug that can talk. How strange is that? Are you okay, Marinette? Maybe you should sit down!"

"Subtle, kid. You should definitely keep talking. It's really helping throw her off track." replied Adrien's cat doll from where it floated in the air.

"Adrien, your doll," Marinette looked at him, "It's not really a doll is it?"

"No, Plagg's a kwami too." Tikki nodded, then she turned to the old man. "Before we go into that though, I want to thank you for coming and helping our friends. I'm so glad you heard us calling for help."

"Yes, thank you." Marinette offered, and at the same time Adrien held out a hand, "Thank you, sir."

"I did not hear you calling, my little friend. No indeed, I was singing. It was chance that brought me here for I am on an errand of my own." The man laughed. "Ah, my young and little fellows, I would offer you to come home with me where my Goldberry is a-waiting, but as I have said, I'm on an errand of my own."

"Would you like help with that?" Adrien asked.

"No, my merry friends, be on your ways. Keep to the green path, and avoid the old stones and cold wights, and stay away from their strange houses, unless you be stalwart folk with hearts that cannot falter." The man pointed out a path that Marinette was sure hadn't be there a moment before, but now she was eager to follow. "Be wary of the weather, for even I know not whether the sun will stay."

And with that the strange little man bounded back off into the forest, singing merrily. Marinette and Adrien took to the path. They were silent for a time, walking shoulder to shoulder, carefully ignoring the fact that there were two of them and two kwamis floating behind them.

"Alright, are you two going to acknowledge the elephant in the road or what?" The cat kwami, Plagg, demanded

"No." Adrien replied without looking back. "At least, not until I get Marinette somewhere safe. After that, I will absolutely consider freaking out over the fact that she might be Ladybug, but not before."

"That sounds like a good plan." Marinette squeaked. "I like that plan. How did we end up in a forest anyway?"

"And who was that guy?" Adrien asked, then he looked at Tikki, "And forgive me for not asking earlier, but what's your name?"

"Oh sorry, Adrien. I'm Tikki." The kwami floated before him. "I've heard a great deal about you from both Plagg and Marinette, and I'm very glad to finally make your acquaintance."

"Oh, thanks. I'm pleased to meet you as well." Adrien chuckled, "And I wish I could say I'd heard as much about you, but both of them have been pretty mum."

"As they should have been." She giggled. "Plagg, are you going to introduce yourself to Marinette?"

Plagg eyed Marinette, "Do you have any Camembert?"

"No?"

"Then I'm good."

"PLAGG!" Tikki's squeak was indignant, while Adrien growled in annoyance.

Plagg snickered and winked at Marinette. She in turn giggled, "I think that's introduction enough."

The other two rolled their eyes, but the small party pressed on. Eventually, they came to edge of the forest and met a green rolling hill. Their path led up the hill through a well kept yard and past a house, dark in the bright sunlight. It was only when the had passed by the house that any of them spoke again.

"I feel like we would be safe there, and well cared for if we knocked on the door and asked to stay, but," Marinette trailed off.

"But that we'd lose track of time and have a lot of nightmares about drowning?" Adrien offered.

"Exactly."

"Speak for yourselves, I would probably sleep like a log." Plagg sniffed.

His three companions eyed him from for a long minute before Tikki finally conceded, "Yeah, that's probably true."

They continued beyond that hill, and to the crest of the next, much larger one. From their position there, they could see a winding river off to their right; the forest, fading from view behind them; colorless, barren lands to their left, and a small flow of hills that were all of the same size and shape breaking up the horizon like old ruins before them.

"That strange man from this morning said to stay away from old stone and the houses of wights." Marinette pointed to the perfectly even hills, "Do you think that's what he meant? I mean, those have to be man-made to be so even, don't they?"

"Maybe, but he also said we should stick to the path." Adrien shook his head, "Maybe we're supposed to pass between them without getting too close."

"That sounds reasonable." Marinette replied, but she was doubtful. Adrien must have heard it in her voice, for he took her hand and smiled warmly at her, before starting down the path himself.

"This place feels far too surreal and poetic, and it's having an awful effect on all of us." Plagg snorted, "And even I'm going to lose it if I continue being the only one keeping us in our own genre."

"Don't worry, Plagg." Marinette smiled at him. "We'll be out of here soon, it's just a strange day."

"Actually, Marinette, maybe he should be worried! Look!" Tikki squealed.

A purple butterfly floated toward one of mounds. Adrien and Marinette both rushed forward. It vanished into the stone. A mist rose up from the old stone into a solid a wall.

"Tikki! Spots on!" Marinette screamed. Adrien was only a breath behind her. "Plagg, Claws out!"

The wall folded over into a roof, shading them from the sun, but emanating a soft green glow. Ladybug sprinted down the path, with Cat Noir behind her. The roof came down on their other side, cutting them off from the other hills and stones. Sickly green shadows enveloped them leaving light at either end of the fog-crafted tunnel.

"What was even down here to akumatize?" Cat Noir demanded as they raced for the light. "Augh! Don't look now, but the way behind us is already closed."

"Don't think about it too hard, just run!"

The light before them dimmed, slowly fading from roof to floor.

"No!"

"What do we do, Ladybug!?"

"Take my hand! We don't want to get separated if this fog darkens." Ladybug's brain raced, "The old man! He said that wights lived here, right? And that we shouldn't interfere with them unless we had stalwart hearts! So, whatever we do, we can't lose hope, Cat Noir!"

"As long as you're holding my hand, my hope is endless, Mi'lady."

Ladybug turned to him. The part of her that understood how dire their situation was, wanted to fuss at him; the part of her that remember that he was Adrien wanted to melt; the part of her that always bent itself around riddles realized that his cheeky flirtations were actually a benefit to both of them in a place of darkness and despair, and she should encourage them. She smiled at up at him, "Same, Kitty."

His eyes widened, and he choked a little staring at her. She grinned. "Let's get out of here, and then see what we can do about an akumatized wight."

"Um, sure thing, but what is a wight?"

"I have no idea."

A sinister chuckle echoed from the ground.

Cat Noir and Ladybug both jumped away, but in opposite directions, wrenching free from each other by accident. Before them, arose a long figured cloak in the shadow of cold starlight. Pale eyes flicked toward Ladybug, before they settled on Cat Noir. The inhuman thing advanced.

"No!" Ladybug threw her yo-yo. It wrapped around the creature and yanked her toward it. The creature in turn, seized her by the throat with an grip like frozen stone. The cold permeated Ladybug's suit, her skin, and then her soul. And then, she fainted.

Ladybug woke up in darkness. The emptiness around her smelled like rotten meat kept in a musty basement. She was frozen with cold, and sick with fear. In a flood of dread, she remembered where she was and the creature that had taken her and presumably her partner too.

Her partner.

Her Cat Noir.

Her Adrien.

He was down here somewhere too, dead or dying. She in took in a deep breath, barely holding back tears. Thank goodness Hawkmoth had already akumatized something, or she would definitely be at risk. She hadn't taken the chance to make Adrien hers when she'd had it. All the love she'd had for him in their civilian identities, and what he'd felt for her in their superheroic forms, wasted.

Unless, a quiet knowledge sank into her brain. Unless you fix the wight and restore this world as you would your own. Then, you'd have that chance again.

She noticed, as she lay there, following lines of reason and hope, that the room lightened. Not by much, not at first, but a faint pink glow seemed to emanate from her and the floor around her. Looking around, she saw Cat Noir had been laid by her side. He was unnaturally pale, with a sword lain across his throat.

Ladybug squeaked in misery, unable to summon any louder of a noise. He didn't look injured, but his skin was twinged a faint lavender color, and Ladybug couldn't tell if his chest was moving.

An eerie caphony, filtered into the room. Music of the dead for the dying. It sounded as if it was played on instruments of hair and bone, and the singer's voice had gone hoarse from wailing, but the song played on.

In that moment, more than anything, Ladybug wanted to save her companion.

"Lucky," Her voice weak, a whisper that went nowhere in dark and frozen room. "Charm."

A piece of paper flutter to her hands. Going over the note in murmured words, she realized from the rhythm and and rhyme that it was a song of sorts, and so she tried to sing it aloud:

" _Hey, Tom Bombadil, oh, Tom Bombadilne,  
_ _By darkness and light, over wood, river, and hill,  
_ _By warmth and sky, listen well and hear my cry,  
_ _Save us, Tom Bombadil, from this place so rotten._ "

The room was quiet for several long minutes, and then, from some warm place from far away, Ladybug heard an answering song. A voice, describing the old man she'd met just that morning. He sang of the yellow boots, and the blue jacket, and speed and strength of such a character.

When light broke through some part of the floor, and a tattered hat followed by a beard face emerged through the opening, Ladybug wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

 _"What's this I see? What's this that won't do?_  
 _Two magics bound by evil intent, through and through?_  
 _A little sunlight, a little courage, to fill the heart,_  
 _And a powerful song, to pull them apart."_

"But that doesn't rhyme at all." Ladybug shook her head, "Can you save Cat Noir?"

The old man shrugged, "Not all songs do, but yes, though we must break the rules as thoroughly as this naughty wight and his possessor have."

"What?" Ladybug struggled to her feet. Behind her, in the darkness, something shrieked. The old man, with a speed Ladybug wouldn't have thought possible, pounced on her. Scooping her up in his arms, he threw her into the air. "Lucky Charm!"

He caught her before she hit the ground, and used her to catch the microphone that fell after her. After he set her to her feet, he grinned, "Now hand me that instrument and watch how sunlight, music, good cheer can banish cold and fear."

Ladybug couldn't understand the words to the song, but something about it, the cadence, the rhythm, or maybe the singer himself inspired confidence. The creature behind her shrieked and fled as the cold stone around them broke apart releasing the akuma. The old man's grin widen as threw microphone as hard as could at the akuma. "Miraculous Tom Bombadil!"

The mic hit the akuma, knocking the butterfly to ground before shattering into the miraculous ladybugs.

"Now, my young friend, let's get you two on your way, as my Goldberry is waiting on me." Tom Bombadil walked over to the unconscious Cat Noir and held him in the air, "Cataclysm!"

When he gently lowered Cat Noir to the ground, the world broke apart.

Adrien fell into himself and then sat up in bed, breathing hard. "Tom Bombadil!"

"Huh?" Plagg blinked at him, "What did that guy want?"

"What? Nothing. I just had a really weird dream. Part of which I blame you for by the way." He shook his head, "I was Marinette, who in my dream, was actually Ladybug. We got stuck in a tree, and then in this weird crypt with an akumatized wight. It was bad, but we got rescued by this really weird gnomish guy named Tom Bombadil."

"First and most importantly, none of that is my fault." Plagg answered, floating close to Adrien's face. "Secondly, Marinette is, thankfully, safely tucked into your guest room down the hall and you both should stay out of the Barrow Downs, if at all possible. And third, he usually feels like a weird dream, he's kinda jerk like that."

"What?"

"Nothing. Let's just go back to sleep and never mention any of this again."

"Uh, okay." Adrien shook his head and decided to follow Plagg's advice.

* * *

 **Hey all,**

 **Happy April Fools.  
** **I hope you enjoyed this (fake) chapter, if not, then rest assured, the actual story will continue soon. (But uh, welcome to my Plagg-like feelings on Tom Bombadil!)**

 **Much love,  
** **SG**

 **(P.s. French and English don't necessarily rhyme when translated.)**


	30. Lessons in Music and Fashion

**Hey all,**

 **I read through your feelings on the crossover/joke chapter. For those of you who got it and enjoyed it, awesome. For those who were, shall we say, not big fans of it, well uh, here's another chapter that hopefully you will enjoy more.**

 **Also, another huge thank you to RoseySparrow for editing and suggesting an improved name to this chapter.**

 **Cheers,  
SG**

* * *

Marinette woke up to quiet, but combativite voices; the lingering scent of pomegranates; and the comfort of a soft bed. She stirred slightly, snuggling into a lightweight afghan that someone had been thoughtful enough to tuck around her.

School had been nice, but, other than complaints from both Nathaniel and Nino, uneventful. Luka, as he apparently did every other week, had come over to give Adrien a lesson in composing music.

Adrien had sat at his piano, Luka had taken the computer chair, and, at the later's teasing suggestion, Marinette had sat on Adrien's bed so she would at least be on the same side of the room as them while she listened to the lesson. That meant, unless someone had moved her, she'd fallen asleep in Adrien's bed.

Marinette bolted upright, startling both Adrien and Luka into silence.

"Sorry," She gasped, and made a display of rubbing at her eyes to cover up her red cheeks, "I think I fell asleep."

"You did." Adrien nodded. "Sorry, if we woke you."

"No, it's no problem. What did I miss?"

"A poorly played song and a small argument, nothing more." Luka smiled at her, then he swiveled back toward Adrien. "Speaking of which,"

"Don't." Adrien glared at him.

"I wasn't going to, but I am going to suggest that we try playing Ladybug. I think that'll show you the flaw in your argument. Join in whenever you're ready."

And with that Luka began to play. His notes fell in the mid-range, high trills of hope mixed with lower warbles of determination. His tempo was quick, building into a heroic theme. Adrien joined him, pulling at the pace and smoothing the flow. The notes he played were in the same range as Luka's, but their order, or maybe the way he drew them out, made them somehow less declarative, more admiring.

The song enthralled Marinette, filling her soul with romanticism and adventure. When she closed her eyes, the music swept her away to roof tops. She ran, and she lept, and flew. She felt the elation of a plan playing out perfectly, the triumph of an akuma capture, and the sheer joy of watching the world heal.

She missed the comradery.

Marinette opened her eyes. "Cat Noir."

It would be unfair to say Luka looked over first, as Adrien, so taken by the music himself, didn't look over at all. He did notice, however, when guitar faltered and went silent.

"Everything okay, Luka?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Luka tilted his head at her, "You said something, Marinette?

"Huh? Oh, I just," Marinette tried hard to keep her blush to a minimum. "The song feels incomplete."

"Incomplete?"

"You almost never see Ladybug without Cat Noir, so it feels like there should be something, some small reference to him, doesn't it? Other than that, I think it might be my favorite song so far."

"Adrien, what do you think?"

"I think I would never play him without tying in a motif for her, but," He shook his head, "I don't know that he's necessary to play her song."

"He might not be necessary, but he's wanted." Marinette insisted.

Adrien recoiled slightly, looking more surprised than dismayed. Marinette clapped her hands over her mouth, realizing that she'd literally just criticized his music and snapped at him over Cat Noir in one go. "Sorry!"

Luka, in a perfect imitation of Captain Anarka, regarded both of them with a carefully raised eyebrow, "This is interesting."

"But I think she may be right." Adrien chuckled, "Cat Noir might not always be necessary, but he's still Ladybug's friend and partner. Maybe we should include him."

"So, is this going to be Ladybug's song, or their song?"

"Ladybug's song. I just want to give him a motif near the beginning and end."

"Alright, what does that sound like?"

Adrien selected a few notes. Most of them were in the lower middle range, but one or two were teasingly higher. He tried them in one order, then another. He paused, nodding to himself as he focused.

He tried one more time, capturing Cat Noir's core with a single short melody.

"Adrien, that's it!" Marinette cheered, "That's him exactly!"

"You think so?" He grinned at her, then, more triumphantly, he turned to Luka. "What do you think?"

"I think we should try to put him in the song and see how he fits." Luka straightened and shifted his guitar, "Do you want to add him in, or shall I?"

"I'll do it. I know where he goes."

"Alright." Luka started the song over. It wasn't exactly the same, the two boys shared the notes and tempo better this time, blending the separate parts together more easily. Adrien played a few notes from Cat Noir's melody near the beginning, as a cheerful introduction. Somewhere in the middle, the melody came in again, higher and faster this time, as though stressed. Then at the end, as music started to quiet, he played it slower, but sharper, the victorious fist bump at the end of a fight.

"It's beautiful."

Both boys offered her a smile, then Luka spun to face Adrien, "Tell me again how I'm wrong?"

"I'm not sure what the difference is, Luka, I'm really not, but I swear, I haven't lied to you."

"No, you haven't. You couldn't if you tried." Luka shrugged in agreement. "What you've actually done instead is lied to yourself, which is arguably worse."

"I haven't,"

"I've made my point, Adrien. I'm not going to argue about this anymore with you." Luka shook his head. "We'll try that song again when you're ready."

"Alright," But Adrien dragged the word out grudgingly.

"May I ask a personal question?" Marinette nibbled on her lower lip.

Luka smiled at her. "You can always ask me anything, Marinette."

"Why did Natalie introduce you to Mr. Agreste like he didn't know you when you're over here every other week?"

The two boys traded a look, then Adrien sighed, "Father isn't very fond of Luka, and likes to pretend we're not friends."

"But, he found out that I can compose music when I started showing Adrien some of the finer points of it." Luka shrugged. "That skill is valuable to him, so we came to an arrangement. I would teach Adrien everything I know about composing, and in return, Adrien's allowed to play in the odd Kitty Section performance and we get to use him to record the songs he plays with us as a featured artist, if not a full member."

Luka breathed in sharply and started to cough. Adrien hit him on the back of couple of times, and Marinette moved to his feet, putting her hands on his knees. Luka covered her hands with one of his.

"I'll go get him some water," Adrien pushed away from the piano, and headed out of the closest bedroom door. "Hold on, Luka."

"I would never tell Adrien this, but honestly, the dislike is mutual." Luka quit coughing as soon as the door closed behind Adrien, although his voice was a little hoarse. "I felt Mr. Agreste's grief when I first met him and pitied him for it at the time, but he's been feeding it. It's gotten so bad now that it's almost desperation, and I'm worried."

"About Adrien?"

"Mostly yes. I don't think Mr. Agreste would ever intentionally hurt him, but there is something very off about his heartsong, and it's only getting worse."

"If you're sure, shouldn't we try to help Mr. Agreste or at least warn Adrien?"

"Adrien already knows in his own way. I think the best thing we can do for him is to be here now. That way, if things hit the floor, he'll remember that he's not alone. He'll remember that there are other people here who love him. As for Mr. Agreste," Luka shook his head, "He doesn't like me, so there's not much I can say that he'll listen to, and I don't know where to even begin in finding somebody that would have that kind of influence with him."

Marinette frowned. "I've only got a couple of days left here, and unfortunately, I've only seen Mr. Agreste twice, once in passing and once on a tablet."

"Exactly."

"No." She met his eyes. "There has to be a way we can help. We're not seeing it yet, but we will."

Luka took a hold of her hands, but didn't raise them from his lap."You really are an amazing girl, Marinette."

"I," She felt the blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Hey! I've got," Adrien paused at the door, "Oh, sorry."

"Thanks, Adrien." Luka tactfully ignored the other boy's embarrassed expression and got to his feet. He waited for Marinette to shift away from him, before he went to take Adrien's forgotten water glass.

"You're welcome." Adrien waited until Luka had finished drinking before he added sheepishly, "Natalie will be on her way up here soon to send you home. So, if there's any last thing you want to do,"

"No. I'll just give you the song we've been working on. See if you can make any improvements to it when you add in the keyboard. That'll be your homework."

"Uh, alright."

"And think about what I said."

"I will, Luka." He sighed, "But I don't see how you could be right about this."

"Trust me. I know your song." Luka grinned at him. "You have the ability to be very perceptive, Adrien, but you have to give that perception meaning. Until you do, you're going to struggle."

"Alright, I'll think it over."

"Mr. Couffaine?"

"I'm coming." Luka packed away his guitar and followed Natalie out of the room.

"What was that about?"

"Um, well?" Adrien rubbed at his neck, "Luka thinks that I'm naive, and that I struggle with the concept of lov-loyalty."

"Why does he think that?"

"He says there are different ways to, uh, to be loyal, and I'm either struggling with one of the other definitions or the concept that I can be loyal to more than one person at time. Unfortunately, my heart is apparently so confused that he hasn't been able to figure out which it is yet." Adrien shrugged. "But most of the time, I don't feel confused."

"Most of the time?"

He smiled at her. "Most of the time."

"Adrien?" Natalie had returned. "I'm going to have yours and Marinette's dinner sent up here as soon as it gets done. Your father asks that the two of you stay in here until his meeting is concluded. I will keep my phone on so you may text, do not call, if you need anything."

"We will. Thank you, Natalie."

She nodded, and turned on her heel to leave, checking something on her tablet as she did so.

"Natalie?" Marinette hurried to the door to catch her.

"Yes, Marinette?"

"Um, will the crew from the workshop be here tonight?"

"It's a meeting for the technical designers, so Julien and Laurent will, but the others will not."

"Do you think we could say hello to them, when the meeting is over?"

Natalie's lips quirked and her demeanor softened, "If the meeting goes well, I'll ask."

"Thank you, Natalie."

Natalie nodded again, more softly this time, and left. When Marinette turned back to Adrien, he was smiling at her. He shook it off and laughed, "Well, Marinette, would you like to watch a movie while we eat, or maybe play some more of yesterday's game?"

"I doubt Nino and Nathaniel will play with us again so soon after some of their comments this morning." She giggled. "So let's watch a movie."

"As the princess commands." He grinned, missing Marinette's blush as he climbed up to his movie library. "Do you have something particular in mind? Or we could watch the Ladybug anime."

"The Ladybug anime?"

"Yeah, Alya gave me a copy. I haven't seen it yet, but supposedly they're using it as the baseline for the Ladybug movie that's coming out."

"Okay, sure."

Adrien popped the dvd into his player, and they settled down on the couch together. They were on the third episode and had finished with their meals, when Natalie returned.

"Marinette, would you come with me please?"

"Huh? Sure. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Mr. Agreste just has a question for you."

Marinette, with Adrien right behind her, followed Natalie down to Mr. Agreste's atelier.

In the center of the usually empty dais, stood a mannequin in a silvery, strapless dress, decorated with small, glittering, dark purple butterflies. There were maybe twenty people seated around it on the recessed benches, most of them clicking away on the tablets they held. Laurent and Julien were among them. Mr. Agreste stood at his computer.

"Ah, Thank you for coming, Ms. Dupain-Cheng." He glided down to her. "Come here, I want you to look at something for me."

"Is it that dress? Because some of the butterfly placements on it are wrong." Marinette asked, completely focused on the garment. Then she realized what she'd said.

Out Loud.

To her favorite designer.

She clapped her hands over her mouth, but Mr. Agreste snorted. "Oh? Can you tell everyone here why the butterfly placement is wrong?"

"Um. Sure. But do you mind if I touch it, so I can explain easier?"

He gestured for her to proceed, so she carefully scooted around him, and onto the dais.

"Um, I'm going to work on the general assumption that, from its size, this dress is designed for someone in my age bracket." Marinette told them, pulling at the skirt of the dress to show the adults how the asymmetrical lower hem would fall to right around her knees. "You could, of course, turn it into a nice Spring dress for younger children, but to be a semi-formal dress for teens and adults, but you'd have to move or alter these butterflies."

She pointed out the butterflies that were on or near the empire waist. "See, all the butterflies are made out of gossamer, wire, and glitter aren't they? To give them the effect of their wings being unfolded? Well, depending on the bust size of the wearer, the ones along here would smoosh into the wearer's waist, which would be uncomfortable, and for any of the visables ones, unflattering."

"It's not that we didn't realize that would be a problem." An annoyed looking man protested to Mr. Agreste. "But the butterflies have to be evenly spaced, you had that written in the notes."

Marinette frowned. "Couldn't you put them tighter here, around the neck line, and space them out in increasingly widened intervals going down to still give them an even look?"

The man huffed.

Mr. Agreste raised a critical eyebrow at him, "She's fourteen, hasn't read the notes I left, has no classical training, and she still understands what needs to happen with that dress better than you do."

"Listen,"

"No, you listen."

"You could also add a strip of gauze here, over the shoulder, as a single cap sleeve." Marinette cut in, both of the men looked at her. She took a deep breath and continued. "You would have to be careful not to lose the sweetheart neckline, but you could fill the strip with butterflies, and that would help with the lower spacing."

She looked around to see if that had been too much. About half of the seated adults looked nervously between her and Mr. Agreste, the others were all grinning at one another. Marinette turned to Mr. Agreste.

He frowned thoughtfully at the dress, his eyebrows drawn in tightly. Then he cracked a small, but genuine smile at Marinette. "You have a designer's eye, Ms. Dupain-Cheng."

Several of the technical designers exhaled, and Laurent held his tablet up to his face to whisper to Julien, admiration sparkling in his eyes. Julien noticed her gaze and winked. The man who'd been responsible for the dress snickered, "She's fourteen, Gabriel, with no classical training, and she's improving your dress?"

"I am far less concerned about Ms. Dupain-Cheng's ability to make improvements in the fashion industry, my own work included, than I am about your inability to make a practical garment."

"Improve the fashion industry? She's a child."

"Don't say that like it means something, Pierre." Julien cut in. "Marinette may be young, but according to Adrien, she's had plenty of hands-on experience with her own work."

"And what do you think he knows about anything? Just because he can look pretty and twirl doesn't mean there's anything at work in that boy's head or that his opinions on the industry are worth anything more than the next teenage idiot's." Pierre shot back. "He probably just wants himself a little girlfriend, and figures this one will do, so he's pushing her onto daddy, who's pushing her onto us."

Time slowed.

Gabriel clapped a hand to his sternum, over his ascot.

Marinette drew in a breath, disbelief and rage swirling to life inside her.

Julien shot to his feet.

Adrien radiated fury, but had been prevented from his own advance by Natalie clapping a hand on his shoulder. Her expression mirrored that of a king's on sacrifice night, dispassionate and righteous.

Laurent followed Julien up and held him back with a hand across his waist. Then, very calmly, he looked at Pierre, "You're gonna wanna leave this room."

All the arrogance drained from Pierre's expression, and he nodded numbly. He was almost to the door when Mr. Agreste called to him. "Pierre? You're fired."

The other man whirled on him, "What!? No. You fire me now, and I'll be back here in just a few minutes, all nice and akumatized. And I'm telling you right now, that when that happens, the first person I'm coming after is your idiotic, spoiled son, and then you."

"Get. Out."

When the slam of the mansion's front door had finished reverberating through the room, Mr. Agreste turned to the rest of them, "Thank you all for coming, but I think this may be where we have to wrap up for the evening. Anyone whose design wasn't seen should come by tomorrow for an inspection. I'll have Natalie work up a schedule and then email it to all of you first thing in the morning."

The designers started shuffling to their feet. Julien rather than waiting to exit by the stairs, climbed up to the floor by the way of the bench. He went to Adrien. Laurent and Marinette followed him.

Before he could speak, Adrien cut in, "Are you okay?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little pissed." Julien grinned, "No one insults my model or my future colleague."

Marinette blushed. Laurent chuckled and wrapped an arm around her. "You were perfect, my love."

"You really were, Marinette, even father was impressed." Adrien nodded, then he sighed, "Do you think that Pierre guy will get akumatized?"

"I'm no fan of Hawkmoth, but if he does anything more than fart in Pierre's direction, I'm going to have change my opinion of him to raging idiot." Julien replied, shaking his head.

"I wish we could count more on Hawkmoth's discretion, but honestly, he's akumatized a toddler before," Laurent interjected.

"Yeah, but that toddler had plus one times three on Pierre's zero potential." Julien shrugged, "Kind of a shame though, I would have loved to see Ladybug and Cat Noir in action. I'll bet we could do wonders with the Miraculous line if we could get a close look at their costumes."

"What do you think, sir?" Natalie asked. "Is there any chance of Pierre getting akumatized?"

"Not likely." Mr. Agreste snorted. "I might have worried about Julien here, but it appears that you have calmed down."

"Sorry about that, sir. I shouldn't have lost my temper to start with."

"It's quite alright, but not what I came over here to talk with you about." Mr. Agreste held up a hand, "What I want to know is if the two of you can take over that akuma dress from Pierre's department and alter it to Ms. Dupain-Cheng's size by this Saturday."

"If we drop the Ladybug and Rena Rogue dresses," Laurent nodded, "It shouldn't be a problem. Do you want us to follow her suggestion about the cap sleeve?"

"Yes, I do. Drop the dresses, but finish the Hawkmoth tux. I want Adrien to wear that as her opposite in the akuma line."

"Forgive me, Gabriel, but I thought you had other models lined up for the akuma line?"

"I have them lined up as the individual akuma victims, but I'd rather have Adrien as Hawkmoth."

"Then we'll get it done." Julien replied, and Laurent nodded with him.


	31. Along the Seine

Cat Noir skidded to a stop one rooftop away from their usual meeting place. Ladybug was there, leaning against the railing and smiling out at the skyline. He stood and smiled too. Ladybug didn't noticed, and she wouldn't, not with how lost in thought she looked.

He took a running jump and landed on the other roof without the use of his staff. "Everything okay, Bugaboo?"

"What!?" She whirled on him, then she laughed. "Oh, sorry, Cat Noir. It's only you."

"Only me and your thoughts." He grinned back. "Care to share them?"

She forced her hands to her side and stamped her foot a little, excitement fraying the seams of her composure. Finally, she gave up trying to fight her elated smile, "I had a really good night, tonight."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I was recognized by one of the current leaders in my field." She nodded.

"That's awesome, Ladybug." He clapped her on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Kitty!" She squeaked delightedly and threw her arms around him. In those first precious few seconds, he squeezed her tightly to him. Then he noticed her scent, pistachio and magnolia. No hints of the usual floral bouquet or baked goods. Would it be creepy to comment on the change?

Yes, almost definitely. In fact, he should let it go before it got him into trouble. "So, what are we doing tonight?"

"With three almost four akuma attacks in the last two weeks, let's do an eight point star path through the city." She grinned, "Unless you have somewhere to be?"

"Not tonight. I'm all yours."

She shook her head, but laughed. Not exactly discouragement, "Let's just go."

On their third line through the city, they stopped at the sound of someone calling for them.

"Wait, please!" Nathaniel came charging up a side street out of breath. "We need help."

"What is it?" Ladybug dropped down before him, and Cat Noir followed her lead.

"Nino's little brother, Chris, got upset tonight and ran off. We're looking for him now, but." Nathaniel wrapped his arms around himself. "I'm worried."

"Nath, did you find any," Nino jogged out from the same side street, pausing when he saw them. "Oh, Ladybug, Cat Noir. Um, I don't suppose I could ask for your help."

"I already asked, Nino. I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"No, it's not."

"He said he hated me just before he ran off."

"He doesn't know you yet. Just give him a little more time."

"Nino?" Ladybug stepped forward and phrased her next thought as a question. "It sounds like you're not as worried about this?"

"Well, Chris throws this kind of tantrum a lot. It's his age." Nino griminced. "But he still shouldn't be out here by himself, especially this late at night."

"If he does this a lot, do you know where he might go?"

"Um, well? I already checked the first two places, and he wasn't there. So, I think he's either gone to the park near, uh, well I guess you would know it as Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, or," Nino sighed, "Or sometimes he goes to walk alongside of the Seine. My parents and I have tried to discourage that, because it's definitely more dangerous, but he picked it up from some movie and thinks it makes him look mature."

"We just passed by the bakery. I didn't see anyone in the park." Cat Noir told him.

Ladybug nodded, "Me either."

Nino muttered something under his breath. Cat Noir stepped up and clapped his shoulder, "We'll go to the Seine, you and your friend can go one way, Ladybug and I will go other, and we'll find him. Okay?"

"Okay, thanks."

The teens didn't speak again until they got to the river, where they split ways, occasionally calling for Chris.

Cat Noir sighed. This wasn't the first time he and Nino had split up to check along the Seine for Chris. That one time in the rain had definitely been the worst, because the sidewalk had been slick and the visualizations of Chris falling into the water and drowning had started. Now, he couldn't do this without them.

He needed a distraction. "Will you tell me something?"

"What's that?"

"Do you have any siblings? Older or younger?"

"Our secret identities have to remain a secret, Cat Noir." She sounded regretful, "We can't do personal questions like that."

He thought about the past week and shook his head, "That's a not a question about your identity, Mi'lady, it's a question about you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's not a dangerous question by itself. I'm not asking to compare notes on everyone who has siblings or doesn't. I'm asking my friend about herself." He replied, "It's not information I can use to find you, but I can use it to get to know you."

She took two steps away from him, "Chris!?"

When they heard no response, she turned back to him. "I'm an only child. What about you, do you have an older brother or cousin that you look up too?"

"I have an older cousin, yes." He shrugged, noting that her question had felt more personal than his. "But he doesn't live in town, and I wouldn't say that I regularly look up to him. Why do you ask?"

"I met someone recently, who reminds me a lot of you." She smiled softly. "It would be a pretty big coincidence if you were related to him, but it did make me wonder about your personal life too, at least a little bit."

"Oh, so you are asking the dangerous questions." He teased.

"Sorry."

"Don't be, I like a little danger." He grinned, then cupped his mouth, "Chris!"

A small head popped out from behind a trash can, "Cat Noir? Ladybug!?"

Chris crawled from his hiding place and sprinted toward them. The quick thwacks of his sneakers slapping against concrete echoed around the area. "There were some creepy bullies here earlier, but I hid."

"Some creepy bullies?" Ladybug knelt down.

"Yeah, they told me I didn't need to be out this late, and where are my parents, but Mom and Dad and Nino told me not talk to strangers." Chris stopped short, and put his hands behind his back, "Have you seen my brother?"

"I have," She nodded. "He and his friend, Nathaniel, are ones who asked us to help find you."

"Nathaniel!?" Chris turned away and sniffed "I hate him."

"Why do you hate Nathaniel, Chris? Has he done something?" Cat Noir moved to the boy's side.

"Yes." Chris choked back tears. "He's replaced Adrien as Nino's friend, and now Adrien won't come back anymore, but he was my friend too."

Cat Noir's heart melted a little bit, and he chuckled. "Who told you that? That Adrien wouldn't come back?"

"No one. No one had too. I'm a big kid, I figured it out all by myself." Chris turned to him, pleading, "But Adrien's so much better. He's like Alya, he'll come and talk to me when he comes over. He asks me questions about my robots, and once he even played cars with me while Nino went to go get food for dinner. Nathaniel would never do that. He almost never talks to me because he doesn't like me."

"You know, for someone who doesn't like you, he was really worried about you tonight." Ladybug said, coming around to Chris's other side.

"He was?" Chris turned to her wide eyes.

"He really was." She nodded. "I think he would like you a lot, and he'd like to be your friend, if you'd give him a chance. He's just very shy, so sometimes you have to talk to him."

"Big kids aren't shy!" He protested.

"They can be. Even adults can be shy."

Chris looked absolutely flabbergasted. Cat Noir chuckled again and stepped away to call Nino. Then he thought better of it. He pulled up the phone function on his staff and held it out to the little boy, "Chris, would you like to call your brother and tell him you're okay?"

"Yeah!" He grabbed the staff and pushed in Nino's number. "Hey Nino?"

A voice squeaked angrily from the ear piece.

"I'm okay." Chris shook his head, "Ladybug and Cat Noir found me and let me call you. Is it okay if I come home?"

Nino replied with something, and Chris nodded. "Yeah, but wait, is um, is Nathaniel mad at me?"

Whatever Nino said in response to that, Cat Noir didn't hear, but Chris did return his staff. "He wants to talk to you."

"Hello?"

"Cat Noir? Hey, if you tell us where you are, we'll come get him, and you two can go back to being heroes."

"We're along the Seine, but we'll start walking back toward you so we can meet in the middle, okay?"

"Okay, and thanks dude! For finding him? I really appreciate it."

"Happy to help. We'll see you in a few minutes." He disconnected and held out a hand for Chris, "C'mon, let's go meet your brother."

Ladybug took Chris's other hand, and they walked quietly like that until they saw the two teen boys running toward them. Chris tore away from them and ran to his brother, crying. Nino dropped to his knees and gathered him up. Nathaniel rubbed the boy's shoulder. "Chris, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Nino peeled Chris off him and set him to standing up, but didn't let him go. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

"Adrien's my friend." Chris started to bawl.

"Yeah, okay, Adrien's our friend too." Nino nodded. "What's wrong with that, did he say something to you?"

Chris shook his head and tried to cling to his brother. "You replaced him with Nathaniel, and now he won't come back."

"I didn't replace him. You know Adrien's my best bro." Nino replied, rubbing his shoulder, "But Nathaniel's our friend now too. Is that not okay?"

"He never talks to me."

"I'm sorry, Chris, I'm not very good at talking." Nathaniel replied, dropping to his level. "But I like to listen. I liked hearing about your catfish."

"You did?"

"I did." He nodded.

"But you two were fighting with Adrien on Sorcerers and Socrates!"

"No, little dude," Nino chuckled, "We were just teasing him about Marinette."

"Marinette?"

"Yeah, that's who Adrien's been with this past week."

Chris's eyes widened, "But Adrien's a big kid!"

"Well yeah, but,"

"He must have been really bad if they thought he needed Marinette for a whole week!" Chris shook his head, "At least, She's a really nice sitter, so she'll still be his friend even if he's been naughty."

Cat Noir thought he was going to die, he laughed so hard. Looking up, he saw neither of the other teens, nor his partner, fared much better, much to Chris's dismay. "It's not funny, she's really nice!"

"Yeah, I know," Nino wheezed, "But she's with Adrien as his friend, not as his sitter."

"Oh, like you and Alya!"

"Not quite."

"Can we make it quite?" Chris pleaded, "It would be really cool to play with both Marinette and Adrien when you and Alya go off together."

"You should talk to Alya about that, my little dude." Nino soothed. "She would be right there with you on that."

"Hey, Chris?" Cat Noir had a sudden thought, "Your friend, Adrien, is he pretty cool?"

"Yeah?"

"Well then, I'll bet if he finds out that you worried about not getting to be his friend anymore, he'd find sometime to hang out with you and your brother and Nathaniel. What do you think?" Cat Noir smiled. "Maybe you could all could go swimming this weekend or something."

"I don't know how to swim."

"I'll bet your brother and his friends would help teach you, if you asked."

Chris looked at Nino, who adjusted his cap and nodded. "Adrien has a photoshoot this Saturday, but I'll see if he and Marinette are busy on Sunday. If they're not, we'll hit the pool. Okay?"

"Okay!"

"Thank you for finding him." Nathaniel straighten and nodded to the two heroes. "We'll go ahead and take him home."

"Yeah, thanks, dudes." Nino stood, picking up his brother.

"Thank you." Chris waved goodbye to them, and the trio headed off.

As soon as they were gone, Cat Noir turned back to his partner. "Back to Patrol?"

"Back to patrol." She nodded.


	32. Specific Lack of Denial

Marinette and Adrien strolled into the locker room to a symphony of laughter.

"Hey Adrien! Have you been a good boy?" Alix teased, sending several of their friends into fresh peals.

"Sorry, dude," Nino turned toward them. "But I have to tell you what Chris said last night."

Adrien crooked an eyebrow at his friend, "Was it something about me being a good boy?"

"The opposite actually." Alya grinned.

Nino launched into the story of how Chris had run off, and how they'd asked Ladybug and Cat Noir for help, and what Chris's reasoning had been. Marinette giggled when Nino reached the part about her, but still felt a blush creeping into her cheeks.

"You gotta tell us before Chloe gets back from the restroom, Marinette," Kim interrupted, snickering "Has Adrien been good for you?"

Adrien's cheeks flared red, but even he turned to Marinette laughing. She rubbed the back of her neck, completely enchanted by the amusement dancing in his eyes. Which answer would enhance that? "Um? Well?"

"I can not believe what Ms. Mendeleive is asking us to do for homework." Chloe announced, flouncing into the room followed by Sabrina and Mylene.

Their classmates broke apart, but several of them continued to chuckle and were awarded suspicious looks from the blonde girl. Alya used the distraction to whisper something to Adrien.

He frowned, but before he could speak she pivoted on the ball of her foot and walked away. Marinette sent him a questioning glance. He noticed, but forced a smile and shook his head in response.

She shrugged it off and shuffled her books around to look busy until almost everyone else wandered out. Then she went to the empty, adjoining restroom and clicked opened the purse that had become Tikki's haven. She offered her kwami a cookie.

Tikki accepted it, "Are you leaving me in your locker again today?"

"If I don't, I'm worried Master D'Argencourt will make me leave you on the side of the court and someone will step on you." Marinette nodded. "But don't worry, I'll come get you immediately if there's trouble. Okay?"

"Alright. Be careful, Marinette."

"I will, Tikki. I promise."

Marinette hurried back to her locker and hung up Tikki's bag. She had maybe another minute before she'd be late, and while that would mean laps around the court, at least she'd gotten Tikki taken care of.

"So, now that we're alone, I need to talk to you." Alya cast her voice almost seductively low.

Marinette winced. She wasn't sure what was going on with her friend today, but she knew for certain that she didn't want to be in here if Alya and Nino were going to skip class together. She contemplated her locker door. Should she slam it and alert them to her presence so she could move quicker, or close it quietly and sneak out to avoid embarrassing them?

"You're Cat Noir. Aren't you?"

"What!?" Adrien demanded, and Marinette froze.

"You've never been in the same place as him, except of course for Volpina, who was based on illusions."

"What are you talking about, Alya?" Adrien asked. "Of course, we haven't been in the same place. He's a hero, he runs toward danger. I'm not, I run away from it."

"You're a lot of interesting things, Adrien Agreste." Alya replied, "But a coward isn't one of them."

"I'm flattered? but I also don't want to give you the wrong impression." Adrien sounded strained. "If you're really convinced that I'm Cat Noir, why don't you talk to Marinette? She's been my partner for these past two weeks, so if I really was Cat Noir, I would have had a hard time hiding it from her, wouldn't I?"

"Nice try, but Marinette's already told me that she wouldn't tell me any of the heroes identities if she ever found them out because of the danger involved."

"She said that?"

"I'm paraphrasing, but basically, yes." Alya sounded smug, and Marinette could almost picture her closing in on Adrien. "Plus, if it weren't true, you would have shrugged off my request instead of staying behind to meet with me."

"Alya," Adrien growled.

"Don't." She matched his hostility pound for pound in that one moment. "I'm not threatening you, Adrien, I'm telling you that I know. You've hidden it well, but the facts don't lie: You've never been in the same place, you look just like him, and you've failed to hide some of your involuntary attributes, like the fact that you're both brave, protective, and selfless.

"Take for instance last night, when you suggested that you, Nathaniel, and Nino teach Chris how to swim. It was because you knew he doesn't know how and you were worried about him." Alya's tone softened, "But you made a mistake. Cat Noir has never offered up someone else's time like that before. If you weren't the same person, he would have only suggested that Chris talk to you."

She sighed, "But you didn't, you offered to teach him in what precious little time you have. And you did the same thing with Marinette and Master Chan. You told him something about her, probably that she had figured out your secret, but it was clear to everyone that at the same time you were trying to protect her."

"Wait, what does my substitute Chinese teacher have to do with anything!?" He demanded.

"Don't play that game with me, Agreste, we both know he's right in the middle of the Miraculous secrets."

Marinette winced. She knew exactly what Master Fu had to do with everything. He was worried about Gabriel owning the Miraculous book, so he'd used Adrien as an excuse to check on the household. But she couldn't let Adrien or Alya think that much of the situation, she had to intervene. She rounded the corner and asked as nonchalantly as she could, "What about Gorzilla?"

"Marinette!?" Alya whirled around, "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough, and you're wrong, Alya. Adrien can't be Cat Noir, he helped Cat Noir and Ladybug defeat Gorzilla." She pulled up the Ladyblog on her phone and showed Alya some of the fan photography that had been posted of Cat Noir standing between Gorzilla and the helmet-clad Adrien. "I know people cleared out of the area for the actual fight, but that's Adrien. His friend, Wayhem, was screaming his name only moments before and drew everyone's, including Gorzilla's, attention to him, like he'd been doing all day."

Alya scrutinized the picture and then sighed. "Alright, maybe I was wrong. I'm sorry for accusing you, Adrien."

"It's fine, Alya. It was really kind of flattering, but it was also so surreal." Adrien shook his head, chuckling. "I've had people tell me I sound or look like him before, but never actually accuse me of being him. Maybe I should try to get a photo of us together next time when he's not busy and post it on my social media."

"About Master Chen though,"

"He's a harmless, old-world, medicine worker, Alya." Marinette insisted. "He does acupuncture and sells unique tea. His magic is just a side effect of his charm."

"Hm." Alya sighed again. She looked at Adrien, "I really thought I had something, and I thought you knew. I thought that's why you asked me for my list, to see how close I was."

"No, I wanted the list for my own reasons, but now that I'm thinking about it, I don't remember seeing any special notes by my name." Adrien replied.

"That's because I took your name off of it." She shook her head, "What did you want it for anyway?"

"Huh? Oh, I wanted to see if I could figure out who Cat Noir was." His shrugged, reaching up to rub the back of his head. Then his expression lit up, and he leaned over to whisper, "Marinette and I were able to build a pretty solid case against Luka, if it helps."

"It doesn't. Luka was in the bottom of the Liberty with me and several of our other friends while Ladybug and Cat Noir fought Captain Hardrock." She frowned at Marinette, "I thought you knew that."

"I guess I must have forgotten?" She shrugged.

"Well, I guess that clears him." Adrien chuckled and grinned at Marinette, "We'll have to play again when we have a better candidate."

"Yeah, but until then, we have gym class."

"True," He nodded. "And Master D'Argencourt is going to have my head for being late. Lead the way."

* * *

 **Hey all,**

 **So, two chapters pretty much back to back, hurray! Two woefully short chapters, boo!  
But, ****I have most of what's left planned, (three and half days!) and I'm very excited about it. ( Like, already almost a page into the next chapter excited!) So I hope that helps.**

 **Cheers,**

 **SG**


	33. A Losing Battle

**Hey all,**

 **So I have a two important notes for you.**

 **First, is that I glitched the last chapter, cutting off the ending. Someone notified me, and I fixed it, but for probably close to an hour on the day it posted, the chapter missed its ending. So, if you read it and were like, "Man, why did she cut Alya off right in the middle of a sentence...", that was unintentional and it has been fixed.**

 **Second, I've done something new with this chapter by switching perspectives in the middle. This is something I wanted to test because I feel like I'** **ll need to do for the finale and didn't want to spring it on anyone in the eleventh hour. (The perspective shifts have been separated by the indicator line.)**

 **With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the story and are ready for the weekend.**

 **Cheers,  
SG**

* * *

"You missed last Friday." Kagami stood poised with one foot extended in front of the other. She would have looked like a ballerina if it weren't for the sabre in her hand and the self-assured half smile teasing across lips. "Scared, Adrien?"

"I wasn't scared, Kagami. I'm in the middle of a class project." Adrien slid his helmet on, but didn't bother lowering the mask yet. "I followed Marinette around and got to enjoy her Friday last week. This week, she's with me."

"Marinette?" Kagami cocked an eyebrow at the girl in question. Marinette, who had sworn she was content to sit on a nearby bench and watch the practice, waved to them cheerfully.

Kagami shook her head. Without any warning, she took the three steps to Adrien and pulled his helmet back off. He gasped. Kagami ignored this and walked over to Marinette, tossing her the helmet. "Get up."

"Huh? No, Kagami, I don't actually know that much about,"

"Of course you don't. That's why I'm going to teach you."

"Um."

"Get up or I start poking holes in your partner."

Marinette practically leapt to her feet, but all she had was his mask. Without thinking, Adrien dropped his own weapon and stripped out of his jacket and plastron. Kagami seemed to have been waiting for this, and moved to grab his discarded glove and sabre while he helped Marinette into his other protective gear. She tossed him the glove, but stood waiting with the weapon.

"You know, regardless of what she says, Marinette, you don't have to do this if you don't want to." He whispered, smiling at her nervous expression. "Kagami talks big, but she's actually very noble. She wouldn't have attacked me after taking my mask like that."

"What are you two waiting for, Adrien?" Kagami demanded. "If Marinette is supposed to be learning about your Friday afternoon, this is how she's going to do it."

"She's right. I'll do it. " Marinette nodded. "If you don't mind that is."

"If you're okay with this, so am I." Adrien stepped out of her way.

"Come take this, Marinette. Now, let's start off with what you do know about sabre fencing."

Adrien took Marinette's spot on bench and watched the girls. Before each assault, Kagami explained what she wanted from Marinette, gave her precisely until the end of 'allez' to ready herself, and then lunged.

Marinette tripped moving out of Kagami's way on the first assault and lost that point. On the second assault, she managed a parry, but failed to riposte and lost a point there too. Before the third assault, she held up a hand on 'pret' and took a deep breath. Then, with renewed focus, Marinette called the directions.

Marinette lunged. Kagami parried easily and started to riposte. Marinette danced back, ducked beneath Kagami's blade, and charged past her. Then Marinette whirled and attacked again while Kagami was still turning to face her, scoring her first point.

"Well done, Marinette." Kagami raised her mask. "Now, that you're ready to do this for real, I'm not going to go easy on you. Understand?"

Marinette nodded, and Kagami dropped her mask. That Marinette scored no more points through the rest of their session, surprised no one who watched. The way she had scored that one point, however, unsettled Adrien. He focused solely on her, on her movements.

She clearly had no training as a fencer. Nor did she appear to have any martial arts training, if his limited time in karate was anything to go by. So how had she executed that move? It looked almost exactly like something Ladybug had done when the Mime swung his invisible sabre at her and again when she had dodged Riposte, acrobating away down the stairs. Ladybug had ducked every swing before moving on.

Adrien tried to shake it off. Most people duck when they think something is being swung at them. Not everyone executed it like that though. He remembered Marinette pinning him when he had touched her and nearly smacked himself in the forehead.

General self-defense training had taken off with Hawk Moth becoming active. If she'd taken courses, it probably wouldn't look like a specific type of combat, but it might give her the skills to get the jump on him or dodge Kagami's blade if neither one of them suspected she could do it.

He grinned. His Marinette seemed so soft and easy to understand on the outside, but Ladybug was wrong. Marinette was an absolute enigma.

She knew Ladybug's identity and had since almost the very beginning. She had as much as told Alya that she was keeping someone's secret and somehow managed to avoid being pressed by the intrepid reporter. She seemed to regularly protect and enchant her classmates. She had learned to fight, despite the inherent clumsiness she'd told him about on their first meeting.

Wait, no, his and Marinette's first meeting had been that one-sided argument. But, _someone_ had told him she was clumsy exactly the same way Marinette always did. Which of his friends was that?

Marinette hit the ground hard just in front of him, breaking his train of thought. He jumped to his feet and moved to her side, "Gentle, Kagami! She's not a fencer."

"And that's almost a shame." Kagami raised her mask, "I don't say this often, Marinette, but you wouldn't be half bad with practice."

"Thanks," Marinette wheezed, "But I think I'm done for the day. Maybe we can do this again if I manage to build up some more stamina."

"I look forward to it."

Marinette got to her feet, "There's still some time left, Adrien, if you want to practice."

"Are you sure, Marinette?"

"She's sure." Kagami twirled her sabre absently, "Hurry up, Agreste. I could grow old waiting for you."

"Sorry, Kagami."

"You're going to be if I don't get a good bout from you." She sounded bored.

"Oh?"

"Have you ever known me to lie?"

"No?"

"Don't answer that like it's a question." She sneered. "Marinette, you may hand me his weapon while you help him with the rest. It'll make this challenge better."

"And what challenge is that?" Adrien asked.

"I'm gentlewoman, Agreste. I'll let you finish suiting up first."

"Thanks." He winked at Marinette and accepted his mask from her. Lowering it onto his face, he turned to Kagami, "My sabre and the challenge?"

"A simple duel." She replied, handing over his sabre. Then she lowered her mask, "To win Fair Lady's favor."

"What!?" Adrien reeled. Behind him, Marinette gasped and stammered a string of syllables that in no way made a coherent sentence.

"You heard me, Agreste. You brought a girl to practice. Show me you can keep her."

Adrien lowered his sword, "Kagami, you're a girl."

"Glad you noticed."

"I shouldn't be fighting to keep Marinette."

"Then lose her."

"No, I mean, she hasn't agreed to this."

"Fair point." She tilted her head in an exaggerated show of looking around him. "Marinette, with your blessing?"

"I!?" Marinette squeaked.

"Aye is good enough for me." Kagami returned her attention to him. "En garde."

"Kagami, wait."

"Prêts."

"Kagami!"

"Allez!" She balestra-lunged.

* * *

Marinette squeaked in alarm, watching as Adrien dodged Kagami's attack.

Kagami spun on the ball of her foot and fell into a ready position while Adrien stalked a half circle around her, back to what had been her starting point.

Arrogance saturated Kagami's tone, "Ready to do this for real now, Agreste?"

He raised his sword, but didn't reply.

"Good." She called the commands again, and the two went for each other.

Some of the fencers took note of the pair and raised their swords to move along the wall and watch the fight. Others continued their training, steadfastly ignoring Adrien and Kagami who used them as an impromptu obstacle course, including occasionally countering their blades before moving on. Master D'argencour stayed out of their direct path, but offered them all of his attention, calling out advice for both fencers in equal measure.

At one point, Kagami threw her saber into the air, spun around Adrien, neatly dodging his attack, before catching the sword in her other hand. Adrien, meanwhile, met Kagami's onslaught by dancing back away from her and occasionally parkouring around their environment before becoming the aggressor.

Then it happened.

They tagged each other.

Marinette looked to Master D'argencour, but he stared at Adrien and Kagami, as if he was just as curious at who won as everyone else.

"What's going on?" Marinette murmured.

One of the fencers who had stopped fighting replied, "No one judges bouts between Adrien and Kagami anymore. They're just too fast. But, they're also both honest, so we just wait for them to tell us who won."

Adrien and Kagami pulled off their helmets. While Kagami shook out her hair, Adrien looked for Marinette. He found her watching and smiled.

Then he winced, "Sorry, Marinette."

* * *

Adrien watched as Kagami stalked up to Marinette and stopped about an arm's length from her. Then, very purposely, Kagami took that last one step into the midground between them and reached for Marinette, touching her outer arm lightly. Marinette gave a small gasp at the contact, making Kagami pause.

When Marinette nodded, Kagami leaned forward quickly and kissed her on the cheek, right at the corner of her lips. Kagami lingered there for a moment longer before pulling away. From the curious look on Marinette's pink face, Adrien guessed that Kagami had whispered something to her.

He moved toward them. Kagami turned and fitted him with another coy half smile. She met him in the middle and kept her voice low enough that only he could hear her, "Don't worry, Agreste. I'm giving her back. I just wanted you to see what happens once you realize that you've won the girl."

"Okay?"

She shook her head at his response. Then, with apparently nothing more to say, she turned and sauntered off, leaving him with the approaching Marinette.


	34. The Dawn of Lady Noir

The alarm on Marinette's phone blared incessantly. She groaned and struggled to her feet, finding her way across the room in semi darkness of dawn.

Last night, she had looked over the alarm clock in her room but couldn't figure out how to reset the alarm on the future tech. So, she'd set her phone alarm to ensure she had enough to time to shower before today's photo shoot.

Giddiness cut through some of her exhaustion. A photoshoot with Adrien didn't feel real. Then again, most of this week had wavered between surreal and nightmarish, even the mundane.

She sighed, "That's how I know you're the one. You turn even the mundane into the extraordinary."

"And the average into the amazing?" Tikki suggested.

Marinette whirled on the kwami, "Tikki! I didn't realize you were up!"

"Even if I hadn't been, no one can sleep through your alarm, Marinette." Tikki giggled, "You're looking at your phone, did you switch the background back to Adrien?"

"No, and I can't until next Monday or Tuesday. I mean, could you imagine if I did, and he saw it? I'd be mortified!"

"But you were talking to him?"

"We're going to be in a photoshoot together, Tikki!" Marinette tried to keep the volume of her squeal down, but as her fingers and toes curled almost involuntarily with pleasure, so did her voice shrill.

Someone knocked on the door, and Natalie called through it, "Marinette, it sounds as though you are awake. May I come in?"

Marinette gestured for Tikki to hide, "Yes, of course, Natalie. It's fine."

Natalie opened the door, spied Marinette in her pjs, and sighed. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. "Forgive me, Marinette, but I wanted to prepare you for today."

"Okay?"

"So, you'll have two dresses to wear. You'll be Lady Noir, and," Natalie paused at Marinette's giggle.

Marinette shook her head, "Sorry, Ladynoir is what Alya dubbed Ladybug and Cat Noir as a unit."

"Then the costume is aptly named." Natalie replied. She sounded dismissive, but her expression betrayed some small amusement, or maybe indulgence. Marinette couldn't suppress her smile, but she did get quiet, allowing Natalie to continue, "So, you will be Lady Cat Noir and an akuma. We do intend to shoot both of those identities with both of Adrien's identities, that is Ladybug and Hawkmoth. Which means you may be asked to change back and forth between your costumes several times today.

"Adrien will start off in the Ladybug suit, and you'll be starting as Cat Noir. You'll be photographed together and in group shots. We'll see if the photographer wants to change locations before having Adrien switch to Hawkmoth, and after a few pictures of you two fighting, you'll change to the akuma. We're going to do a set of Adrien using you to akumatize some of the other models, and then he'll change back into Ladybug to 'capture' you. Alright?"

"Alright!"

"Now, to prepare for the shoot, you can either shower or bathe and I encourage you to use the lotion we supplied, but no make-up, that will be applied by professionals on site. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"And you need to wear a shirt that buttons," Natalie started, but paused at a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Adrien, may I talk to Marinette?"

Natalie looked at her, again taking in her pjs. "Are you comfortable with me letting him in?"

Marinette nodded, and Natalie opened the door. Adrien smiled awkwardly, "Hey, I just wanted to make sure Marinette was prepared for today."

"Yes, we just went over the schedule."

"Okay, do you mind if I talk to her for a minute?"

"Is there a reason I can't be in here for that?"

"No, not exactly," Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Has she told you about what it's like to be a model, Marinette?"

"I'm not sure. She told me what we're doing today?"

"Okay, well, uh, with modeling," He started, cycling his hands. Then he shook his head, rolled his shoulders back, and met her gaze, "With modeling people are going to touch you.

"People will touch you applying your make-up and helping you dress, and they'll touch you during the shoot, adjusting your hair or your clothes. That being said, it's a lot like Laurent's shop. No one should ever touch you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, so if someone does, say something."

"To them, or?"

"To me." Adrien replied firmly. "Everyone there should already know what they're doing, so if one of them touches you in a way that feels inappropriate, tell me. I'll see to it that they change whoever is helping with your adjustments."

"Okay."

"I'm serious, Marinette. We'll be in close quarters today. I even asked them to split my trailer with a screen and put you in there so that I can be on hand to answer any questions you have and alleviate any of your worries." He smiled, "Basically, I'm yours today. Use me as you need too."

"Adrien is right, Marinette." Natalie nodded. "As your partner, he is a good resource and I am sure that he means to keep an eye out for you. You may also talk to me about any of your concerns."

"Thank you. Both of you."

They nodded, and Natalie grabbed Adrien by the shoulder, "We'll let you get ready. Do you have a shirt that buttons up to wear for hair and make-up?"

"No, I didn't know,"

Natalie cut her off, "I'll find one for you and leave it on your bed. Please be downstairs and ready for breakfast within the next forty-five minutes."

Marinette nodded, and Natalie wheeled out of the room, dragging Adrien behind her. Marinette turned to find Tikki had come out of hiding at their departure. She held out her hands for the kwami, "I hope he's not in too much trouble for sticking up for me."

"I thought you'd be more distracted by the fact that he said he was yours." Tikki shrugged.

Marinette squeaked in response.

Tikki rolled her eyes, but she laughed too. "Go on, Marinette, you need to get ready."

She choose to shower. Like her first morning at the Agrestes', Marinette scrubbed herself almost to the point of being raw. She combed through her hair with the conditioner then turned off the water. Before drying off, she hit the red parts of her skin, where she'd gone a little too hard with pumice stone, with lotion. She towel dried her hair and brushed it out, but didn't style it or put it into her usual pigtails.

The shirt Natalie had found for her was a white button up, with two breast pockets and and an embroidered blue feather on the left shoulder. It was cute, if a little big in the shoulders. She dressed, grabbed Tikki's purse, and headed down to breakfast.

Adrien met her outside the dining room and offered her a couple of financiers rolled up in a napkin. "Change of plans, we need to leave now instead of in half an hour. It's something about the shoes for our costumes, but Natalie didn't go into any detail. She and my bodyguard are getting the car. Here, they're hazelnut and plum."

"Thanks."

"Hey," Adrien grinned, "I recognize that shirt."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it was my absolute favorite two years ago. I wore it like every other day."

Marinette barely avoided having her brain shut down completely at the thought of wearing Adrien's shirt. One that had been his _favorite_ shirt. She managed to giggle out, "I guess I'll have to be extra careful with it then. Make sure I get it back to you in one piece."

"I trust you." He started to walk past her, but cut his eyes back to her at the last moment, "Besides, I should probably just let you keep it. I think it looks better on you than it ever did on me."

Marinette could only swallow and chase after him.

The shoot, she found out when she was loaded into the car, would be at the Luxembourg Gardens, starting off at the Medici fountain. They'd been given special permission to interact with the fountain as they chose, so long as no damage was done to it.

Adrien smiled at her as he led her through the crowd of workers gathered at the site. "Are you nervous?"

"A little bit?" She replied, tangling her fingers around the strap of her pocketbook.

"Don't be." He took her hand. "You have an advantage here. You've met Cat Noir. Just channel him."

"I'll try."

"You'll do fine."

"Adrien?" Eloise approached them, "Oh, have you already figured out which trailer you're in?"

"Yes, ma'am. Headed in that direction now."

"Good. I've set it up as you requested, so you and Marinette can be in there together." Eloise looked down at the tablet she carried, and Marinette couldn't help but to think of her as a red-headed Natalie for a few seconds. "Adrien, you'll need to go straight to the make-up chair. Marinette, someone in the trailer will direct you where to sit so they can try some shoes on you. After that, they'll put you in a chair too. I understand you're new to all this?"

"Uh, mostly?"

"Okay." Eloise nodded, "Works like this. You can talk to whoever as much as you'd like while they're doing your hair, unless you're told otherwise. Do not talk while they're working your make-up. Got it?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Excellent. Off you both go then." She waved them away.

The trailer process, Marinette discovered, was all very streamlined. By the time her shoes had been decided on; a pair of black, wedged, ankle boots, and silvery, gladiator sandals with straps that would wind up to just beneath her knee, Adrien had already been moved from make-up to the back of the trailer. Then, while they were gluing a mask on to her face, he left the trailer for his first solo photos.

Marinette didn't get a chance to see her finished look before she was whisked outside. She saw Adrien out there though.

She swallowed hard. She had thought he was pretty before, but she'd had no real concept of what seeing him dressed in her own colors would do to her.

Black pants, with a ladybug stripe on the outer side of each leg fit him snuggly. Black musketeer boots hugged his calves. A toreador styled jacket cut to the bottom of his ribs in a ladybug print hung open over what may have been a black, tight-fitting, tank top. A wide belt of the same ladybug patterned cloth had been wrapped around his hips to complete the look.

"Perfect," The photographer cried distantly. "Hold it there, hold it there!"

More than just his costume, there was something intimately familiar about Adrien's stance. It was in the way he favored his right hip and gazed out at the photographer almost over his shoulder. Even from behind, she easily pictured the arrogant quirk of his mouth and the way he tilted his chin, down and to the left. Her only problem with the overall look was the yo-yo they'd given him. A staff would have looked more natural.

She caught herself just before she voiced that thought allowed.

"Now turn, Adrien. Look at your admirer!" Vincent commanded.

Marinette realized he meant her. Oh no. She remembered Adrien's advice about channeling Cat Noir, so she threw her weight forward into her right leg, balled her hands into fists on her hips, and pursed her lips into a smirk of her own.

Adrien turned to meet her gaze.

His mouth fell slightly open.

Vincent snapped another picture of the two of them.

* * *

 **SG: "Oh look! We're almost to the end, and I'm actually getting a chance to write chapters!"**  
 **Life: "Bah ha ha ha!"**  
 **Life: Fall over.**  
 **Life: Explodes.**  
 **SG: "Son of ah!"** **  
**

 **Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I'm starting the next one as we speak so hopefully it won't be too long before I can get it out. Much love to all of you, and I hope you're looking forward to this ending as much as I am.  
Also, a huge thank you to RoseySparrow for constantly beta reading and editing my work.**

 **Cheers,  
SG**


	35. Bokeh

**Bokeh: A photography term from the Japanese word "Boke" meaning "Blur" or "Haze"**

* * *

Adrien had forgotten how to breathe. There was simply no room in his head with Marinette taking up so much of his thoughts. Most of it was her expression, how it hovered delicately between coy and predatory. On the edges of his awareness, Vincent cooed the word perfect over and over again, as he darted around them, and Adrien had to acknowledge he was right. Marinette was perfect.

She sauntered toward him, the skirt of her dress swishing around her legs. Her hair, pulled back into a half-up style and set with a pair of black wire and peridot combs in the shape of cat ears, grazed her bare shoulders in time to the movements.

"What's a-matter, Bugaboo? Cat got your tongue?" She teased, stepping up onto the edge of the fountain.

If this was Marinette channeling Cat Noir, how had he not already won Ladybug's heart? Marinette was certainly doing a number on his. He wondered if the mask made her brave. If so, he'd get her a thousand of them. Just black, little half-masks bordered in green pawprints like this one, that could make her bluebell eyes pop like that.

Or better, he'd convince Ladybug to give her a Miraculous. Between Marinette's penchant for doing good, her strategic advance in 'Sorcerers and Socrates', and her obviously undiscovered ability to stop people in their tracks with just a look, she deserved one.

She looked up into his eyes, had to, as those low heeled boots still didn't quite put her at his height. That had probably been intentional if he knew his father's people. His father's people. Oh crap, he was on the clock!

At least Vincent was still taking pictures and murmuring about love and spaghetti. Adrien swallowed hard. Why did his photographer have to draw a correlation between food and Marinette at this moment in time?

Adrien shook his head. He couldn't remember Marinette's question, but he needed to say something. "Sorry, I like your collar. I mean bell! I mean I like the collar- bell, combo! It looks good on you, with the uh, with the dress."

The collar was just a black strip of fabric fastened tight around the base of her throat and adorned with a single brass bell in a direct homage to his own superhero costume. He couldn't fathom why it was his favorite part of her ensemble, not in a skirt that swished so perfectly, a promenade of tiny of pawprints, and the green sparkle of peridots in her dark hair, but it was.

"Thanks!" She twisted away from him and held up a silver staff. "Ready to fight some akumas, Mi'lord?"

"Not quite yet, Marinette, although I appreciate your enthusiasm." Eloise gestured to an intern. "Thibault, now that Adrien's ready, let's get his yo-yo switched out for the wire replica. Vincent, Mr. Agreste wants at least a couple of pictures as if the viewer is one of the akuma victims."

Vincent nodded and chose a position. "Adrien, I want you behind her, no only half-way. Good, yes! Now, open up your stance, a little more. Right shoulder forward, throw that yo-yo from your finger-tips, keep it balanced, Yes! Now, Thibault, I want that wire to curve toward me, as though he's thrown it from his right side rather than straight on."

Thibault pulled a tool from his belt, "Do you want me to wrap any of this wire around your fingers, Adrien? Make it easier to hold?"

"No, I think I've got it."

"Alright, one curve coming up." Thibault replied, using the tool to curve the arc of the fake yo-yo toward Vincent without kinking the wire.

"Good, Good. Now, Gattina, yes, you, sweet girl, extend your leg in front of Adrien and lean away from him to your left. Good! Draw your left arm back and hold your staff. No! Thibault, she must have the longer staff. Give her the one that will touch the ground behind her. Yes, perfect! Perfect, Gattina! Now, I want ferocity from you both, but give me that in smiles! Yes, triumphant smiles!"

"Vincent, you want me to fix her skirt?" Thibault asked, studying Marinette. Adrien couldn't help glancing at him, but much like Laurent or Julien would have been, Thibault's expression was completely analytical.

"Yes. Hurry, hurry. Adrien's jacket too."

Thibault hurried in and smoothed out the skirt on Marinette's right leg so it covered more. Then he produced and unfolded a small cardboard clamshell. He set this between Adrien's ribs and jacket, so the jacket's weight would keep it in place, and it would give the jacket flair as though Adrien were in motion. Thibault nodded to the younger boy, "Don't move around too much, yeah? Or this will fall right out."

"Okay, after that, let's get them fighting our three roses." Eloise pointed three different young women in the line of pied models.

The first girl to approach wore a medium pink babydoll dress with lavender accents and a gold crown with three swirls on the forehead. Her hair had been colored purple and pulled back into multiple braids. She took up a position on the other side of Marinette from Adrien and held up her hands like a monster.

The second girl wore a darker colored rose dress, that looked like a mix of Victorian and harlequin. Her hair had been fashioned into buns on either side of her head. She moved to his other side from Marinette and held out a hand, palm flat, toward him, an intricate and highly stylized watch on her wrist.

The last girl wore a black romper with ruffles and bubblegum pink highlights. Her hair was a single braid, colored to match her outfit. Someone handed her a toy gun and directed her to stand on the other side of the fountain from the two of them.

Including Thibault's adjustment time, Marinette and Adrien worked with the girls for about half an hour. There were pictures of the first girl pinning Adrien and Marinette saving him. Ones of the second girl grappling Marinette and using her as a shield, where Thibault had to wrap Adrien's yo-yo around Marinette's ankle. The third girl occasionally aimed at them, but was never given a directive to get close to them. However, both of his and Marinette's weapons were traded out for longer ones, and Vincent got behind the two of them to capture a perspective shot of them aiming at her.

After a five minute water and bathroom break, Adrien and Marinette were paired up against new villains. The morning continued on that way, half hour sessions and five minutes breaks, but Adrien found the longer they went, the more Vincent and Eloise trusted his and Marinette's instincts on how they would work together, and defeat the foes they were posed against.

Just before they would break for lunch at noon, Eloise wanted more photos of just Adrien and Marinette together. "We're looking at them as "After-Battle" photos. It's the perfect time for them since both of you are little ruffled. So we're going to have Thibault step in and touch up some of your make-up. Okay?"

When both of them nodded, Thibault pounced on them. He touched in the corner of Adrien's mouth with red, and dust a dark purple powder on Marinette's forehead near her hairline.

"Excellent." Eloise held out her hands, her fingers posed like 'L's. "Alright you two, we're looking for friendly and flirty. Think Ladybug and Cat Noir post battle."

Marinette held her fist out to him, "Pound it!"

He laughed and fist bumped her.

"Oh! Do that again, but Adrien step in closer and lean into it! Make her think of you as strong and possessive! Yes! Yes, good! Big strong boy and his little lady!" Vincent called, going nuts with his camera. "A small, _fierce_ smile and soft eyes! Look at her, look at her! Yes, perfecto! Gattina, oh no, your face is already perfect! Excellent! Good, good!"

"Adrien, can you go ahead and switch that to taking her hand?" Eloise asked.

"Um, if I'm Cat Noir, it would make more sense if I took his hand." Marinette told her. "He's the flirtier of the two."

"Okay, if you're comfortable with that, Marinette, go ahead." Eloise nodded.

Marinette took his hand and bent over it, her lips grazing his knuckles. Adrien's breath caught in his throat. In a surreal moment, when he tilted her chin up, he could picture capturing her mouth with his. He shook it off. Ladybug wouldn't kiss Cat Noir, and he doubted Marinette would appreciate a kiss from him.

"Alright, Marinette, again, if your comfortable with this, wrap your staff around Adrien's back and pull him a little toward yourself." Eloise commanded, gesturing how Marinette might trap him with the staff.

"Yes, yes! Adrien, we need an expression that says you are surprised, _but pleased_! Yes, your spaghetti wants you back!" Vincent cheered. Out of the corner of his eye, Adrien saw Eloise facepalm then glare at Vincent. Adrien laughed. Vincent looked up at him, startled. Then he started snapping photos faster, "Yes! Yes, perfect! Look cheered! Touch her face! Marinette! Gattina! The stars in your eyes! Perfect! Perfect!"

Adrien smiled at Marinette, running his thumb along her chin. She pulled him a little closer via her staff. There was only one thing left to do.

He kissed her, softly. His lips pressed to her cheek, the same place Kagami had kissed her the day before. He heard her small gasp and murmured, "Forgive me, Marinette, if that was out of line. I won't do it again."

"But," Her whisper sounded breathless.

"Perfecto!" Vincent screamed, interrupting.

"Alright, this is where we'll break for lunch." Eloise nodded. She looked pleased. "We might get some more pictures of the two of you together as Ladybug and Cat Noir tonight if we're done by the golden hour. In the meantime, Marinette, you're with me, we'll get you something to eat. Adrien, you need to go get changed, then we can get you fed too. After lunch, be ready to fight each other, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." He nodded. Adrien rolled his shoulders trying to dissipate his annoyance. After all, the two adults had just stopped him from making two very big mistakes; kissing Marinette when he was suppose to be setting her up with someone else, and kissing Marinette when she wasn't his Ladybug.

Although, as he headed back to the trailer, he found he was more disappointed than grateful.


	36. Glimmers in the Dark

"Well, what did you think?" Adrien asked.

Marinette looked at him. Even through the tinted windows, leftover traces of the silver glitter they'd streaked through his hair still shimmered under the rolling street lamps. Feeling bold in the dark car, she reached over and ran her fingers through a small section of his hair. She came away with sparkling fingertips, which she showed to him, and giggled, "I think you made a very pretty Hawkmoth, but I liked you even better as Ladybug."

"Thanks." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What will they do about the second set of Ladybug pictures? I mean, given that they couldn't completely fix your hair?"

"Well, they managed to wash all the grey out." He shrugged, "So really, it's just a little bit of sparkle here and there that they can edit as they need too."

"Ah, okay."

"So," Adrien tapped his hands against his thighs, "Did you have a good time? Was it what you expected?"

"It was a little different than I expected." She thought over the day, wanting to give him the most honest answer she could. "It was very fast paced and I kind of felt like a doll to start with, but overall it was a lot of fun, and I feel like it gave me a great perspective for future fashion shows with my friends."

"Great!" He beamed. He looked so pleased, his head high, and his chest puffed out like a little boy's. Marinette fought the urge to hug him.

It dawned on her, rather suddenly in that moment, that he'd asked her for her approval, not once, but twice. That surprised her. Why would Adrien, an actual model, care so much about her thoughts? Especially on such a steady, integral part of his life? Maybe it was because of how much time they'd spent together recently.

She thought over the last week and how much of it had just been the two of them. A lot of it, actually. The dinners they'd taken alone. Their precious few free hours that he'd spent showing her basic melodies on his piano. The time devoted to their homework, and polishing his other skills had just been the two of them as well.

People had spoken to them, of course, and Adrien had responded, but most of those conversations had lacked the natural warmth of a personal relationship. It had all seemed so professional and straight-forward, so...

 _Lonely._

She reached out to touch the back of his hand, maybe to reassure him, maybe to question him, she wasn't really sure.

 _You don't have to pity me, Marinette. My family is a little broken, but that doesn't make me incapable of happiness._ _Especially since I have such great friends now._

The adults from the workshop had been different. Their influence may only be limited to shop days, but they still loved him. And Luka only had him one day every other week, but he'd straight up told her that he intended to make certain Adrien knew he wasn't alone. And then there was Nino. Nino who called Adrien his best friend and refused to give up on him, despite only being allowed whatever odd moments Adrien could squeeze him into. In that moment, Marientte even felt gratitude for whatever companionship that Kagami and Chloe offered him.

At her touch, Adrien snapped up her hand. He gave her fingers a light squeeze and then relaxed his grip, not quite letting her go, but making it simple enough for her to pull free of him if she chose to.

She didn't. Instead, she loosely linked her fingers with his and smiled up at him.

"So," He dropped his head back to the seat and rolled his neck to look at her, the picture of ease and amity. "What did you like best?"

She didn't even need to think about it. "Pretending to be Cat Noir."

"Really?" His voice hitched slightly in surprise, but his eyes brightened with pleasure.

"Of course! I loved fighting akumas with you. The real Ladybug and Cat Noir better watch out before we take their spots!" She grinned at him. "And their whiskers."

Adrien laughed so hard that he visibly shook. Then, as his chuckles subsided, he blinked several times. He looked back at her, scanning her face, his smile fading. "Thank you, Marinette."

She nodded and squeezed his hand in return. They didn't speak for the rest of the ride back to the mansion, or even look at each other much, but nor did either one make an effort to pull away from the other. Somehow, at least for Marinette, that quiet only centmented the intimacy blooming between them.

Once inside the foyer, Adrien stopped short, surprising Marinette when she very nearly ran into his shoulder. She looked up to see Mr. Agreste waiting for them on the first landing of the stairs. Adrien stepped forward, sliding a little more in front of her, and nodded, "Father."

"Adrien, I have already received the unedited photos from today. You both did well." He nodded to them, "I am pleased."

"Thank you, Father."

"Thank you!" Marinette winced at her own nervous pitch. "Uh, sir!"

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng," Mr. Agreste leveled his unflinching gaze on her. "As you may already know, I own the photos from today's shoot and they will be used in advertising. This is something that both you and your parents agreed to when you signed the paperwork that said you were okay to model with Adrien. However,"

He inclined his head almost imperceptibly, "I understand that you are not a professional model. For your willingness to be photographed despite that, I will allow you to select up to three of the images from today's shoot to take home with you as personal photographs in addition, of course, to a paycheck that I will forward to your parents on your behalf. The only thing I ask is that you in no way share these images on social media until the collection airs, as I cannot have my designs leaked and I may have need of the ones you chose for the campaign."

"Oh!" Marinette clapped her hands together to keep from gesturing around stupidly in her excitement. "Yes, Thank you!"

Mr. Agreste nodded curtly and gestured with a single hand to the dining room. "Diner has been prepared. Natalie will bring you a tablet to go over the photos while you eat."

"Will you be joining us?" Adrien asked, taking a single step forward.

"No, I'm afraid I have work that must be done tonight." Mr. Agreste stepped back and started to turn away. Then he paused, looking back down at his son. "However, I am very pleased with your work today, and have decided to grant your request to visit the community pool tomorrow."

"Thank you," Adrien replied softly, "Father."

Both father and son turned away from each other; Mr. Agreste, to go back up the stairs to his right, and Adrien toward the dining. It took Marinette less than a second to follow Adrien, but behind them, Natalie trotted up the stairs after Mr. Agreste.

Dinner had been professionally laid out for them and was still steaming as they took their seats. The night's dish, pan roasted monkfish and lion's mane mushrooms in a garlic and herb sauce stacked on top of grilled asparagus, reminded Marinette of a conversation she'd had with Cat Noir. She looked at Adrien. "Do you really like asparagus?"

"Yes?" He frowned at her. "I like it, but if you'd rather have something different,"

"No!" She held up her hands, "No, it's fine. You just seem to eat it a lot, so I wondered."

"The chef knows it's one of my favorite vegetables, so it's a pretty safe bet for him to make when he can't ask me what I want."

"That makes sense." Marinette smiled back at the food on her plate, picking at it with her fork. "One of my other friends likes it a lot too."

"Oh?" He asked absently, "And who's that?"

"Uh?" She squeaked, realizing what she'd done.

Should she just go ahead and confess that it was Cat Noir? Surely Adrien wouldn't have any cause to speak to him about asparagus of all things. And it wasn't like anyone else knew that it was Ladybug that Cat Noir had been talking to when he said liked it, and not Marinette. So, as long as it didn't get back to him, she would be alright. Wouldn't she?

What if Adrien did talk Cat Noir though? What if, in pointing out their similarities, as he said he might have to do, Adrien pointed out that they both liked asparagus. How many people would Cat Noir have expressed that particular fondness too? Probably not many.

Adrien looked up at her, clearly taken back by her long pause.

"Uh, just uh," She rolled her hand, trying to come up with something, anything. She failed. "Just a friend?"

"O-kay?" He started to take another bite of food, but lowered it quickly back to his plate, his expression lighting up, "Wait, it's not the guy you're in love with, is it?"

Realizing that she could be honest with him on that point, she nodded, "The boy I love does like asparagus. Yes."

"Good to know." He nodded back, smiling. "Anything else I might have in common with him?"

Marinette squeaked in alarm, her hands rolling as she tried to come up with a non-specific gesture.

Fortunately, Natalie choose that moment to enter the dining room with the promised tablet and rescued her from answering. "Marinette? I've loaded today's photos on this tablet for you. Please go ahead and look through them, and just favorite the ones you want."

"May I see them too, Natalie?" Adrien asked.

"I don't see why not." She replied, setting the tablet down between them. "Do you remember how to favorite photos, Adrien?"

"I do."

"Good, then I will leave the two of you to it. Just remember to unfavorite the pictures that she decides she doesn't want."

"We will." He nodded and scooted his chair closer to Marinette, angling it so they could both look at the screen together while they ate. He smiled at her, "Want to see if we can figure out who everyone is supposed to be?"

"I think I already figured most of them out by the weapons they were given, but I'd love to go over them again just for the details." She nodded.

They spent a good half hour discussing the various costumes and models. They both agreed that the man representing the Mime, while the most out of character, had the best facial expression. The man dressed as Darkblade, however, had never broken character and probably remained the most true to his akumatized counterpart. The nuances in Mr. Agreste's work was another whole conversation unto itself.

For instance, the young man in the crimson knit cap and thin, dark button up had translucent circles painted onto his shirt in primary colors. Marinette hadn't given the circles much thought when she'd been face to face with the model, but now she realized that were supposed to represent bubbles.

The young woman he'd been partnered with had similar flourishes to her costume. She'd been dressed in a black tunic with four white arches on the chest and capri leggings with similar markings, but inverted colors. Easy enough to figure out, her identity just from that, but the real contemplative eye-catcher had been her silverly-white belt. It had been comprised of metal circles repeated all the way around her natural waist, that on closer inspection, vaguely resembled the 'on' symbol.

The first picture Marinette chose to keep had been one of those two models encircling her and Adrien as they stood back to back. She had used her staff to knock Lady Wifi's phone up and potentially out of her hand, while Adrien had his yo-yo wrapped around the Bubbler's wand to pull it away from him.

Then she flipped through to the pictures of her and Adrien in their alternate costumes. Marinette, beyond the akuma dress and glitzy sandals, had been adorned with a crown of flighty butterflies, expertly curled into her hair, and large cuff bracelets cut into butterfly silhouettes. Adrien matched her in an almost plain, dark purple suit with silver trim, a lilac mask cut into the shape of a butterfly, and the glittering paste they'd streaked into his hair.

She had wanted to choose a photo from this set, but something about them bothered her. Adrien looked handsome enough in all of the pictures, but he also seemed so detached and melancholy. Marinette just looked overwhelmed.

She scrolled through all of the pictures, not particularly settling on one. She ended up skipping through to the picture of Adrien, now back as Ladybug, catching her with his yo-yo. It had taken them several minutes to wrap the wire around her waist in way that didn't crease it or her dress, but the effect worked.

Their expressions, unlike the previous photos, complimented each other beautifully. His smile was the perfect mixture of confidence and compassion, and, far from being upset, the Marinette in the picture was bright eyed and hopeful, actively pulling her hero towards her.

She showed it to Adrien. Without speaking, he tapped the favorite button and grinned at her. She giggled in response.

For her last picture, she knew she wanted the one of him kissing her, but she tried hard not to immediately return to it. In fact, she made a point of finishing her way through the rest of the pictures before 'deciding' on it. If Adrien thought anything of this display, he didn't voice it.

When they finally finished, Natalie descended on them as though she had been waiting. She confiscated the tablet and their plates, and sent them off with the suggestion that they retire immediately, given the late hour. The two traded yawns and agreed.

Adrien escorted Marinette to her room as he had done every night that week. When they reached her door, she pretended to brace herself for his usual teasing. "Alright you! Sweet dreams and good night!"

"Sweet dreams to you too, my Marinette. May they be filled, once more, with the kind of kisses that make you," He trailed off, focusing on something behind her.

"Adrien?" She checked to see what might have caught his attention, but saw nothing noteworthy other than the cat cutout she'd put in her window that morning. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. I'm fine." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I thought I saw something fluttering outside your window, but I think it was only a shadow."

She rushed to the window. "I don't see anything."

"Sorry, it was probably just a leaf or something." He shifted uneasily, "I must be more tired than I thought."

"Okay, well, good night." She smiled at him, "And sweet dreams."

"You too, Marinette." He flashed her a quick smile in return, before he turned on his heel and hurried away.

Marinette closed the door after him and flicked off her bedroom light. She checked the window once more. She could see a little further into the backyard, but still nothing popped out at her. She debated transforming anyway, just to triple check, but decided it wasn't worth it.

Until Adrien had accidentally drawn her attention to the cutout, Marinette had honestly forgotten about setting it up. She had no idea if Cat Noir had already tried to stop by, but if he hadn't, or if he intended to circle back and check on her again, she'd rather not have to explain Marinette's absence.

Also knowing Cat Noir, he'd probably take a quick look around for her, if she asked.

She checked the window again, but saw no distant figure leaping across the Parisian skyline. Probably, she would be safe to grab a quick shower and wash the product off of her skin and out of her hair. After that, she'd crawl into bed, but spend some time scrolling through her phone, just in case he showed up.

She stepped into the bathroom, but left the door cracked open out of habit. She stripped, showered quickly, and wrapped herself in a towel to brush her teeth.

"Marinette?" Someone called in a low voice.

"Ah!" She squeaked and whirled on the bathroom door. "Don't come in!"

"I won't! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to let you know I was in here." Cat Noir sputtered. It didn't sound like he was very close to the door. "I knocked, but you didn't answer and I saw the bathroom light, so I just came in. I hate to intrude, but it seemed less creepy than just clinging to the wall outside your bedroom while I waited for you."

"Oh, that makes sense. Um," Marinette sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Cat Noir, my clothes are out there."

"Oh! I can step back outside, or hand them to you, or,"

"Just drop my bag by the door and turn around."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Marinette grabbed her bag almost immediately after she heard it hit the floor, and dressed quickly. Cat Noir still had his back to the door when she emerged. She shuffled awkwardly to the bed, and dropped her bag in the middle of it. "I was out so late tonight, I wasn't certain if you'd already been by or if you were even still coming."

"I didn't want to raise any questions, so I waited until most of the mansion went dark before I transformed." He inclined his head toward her, "It is pretty late though. Did you have an eventful day?"

"Very. You can turn around now if you'd like." She smiled at him. "Thank you, by the way."

"Of course." He nodded. In the semi-darkness it was hard to tell, but Marinette thought his cheeks looked dark. "So, you summoned me?"

"Yeah. I guess I should have just had Ladybug tell you this, but after you made the effort to come by the mansion everyday, it seemed rude not to tell you myself." She took a seat on the edge of her bed. "Adrien knows now that you're not Luka, but I'm also pretty sure that he's dropped his search for you identity."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Yesterday morning, Alya accused him of being Cat Noir. He said he was flattered, but it wasn't true, and I helped him prove it. Then he suggested Luka to her, and she told him how that wasn't possible. He just sort of accepted that, and said we'd have to wait until we had more information to try again." Marinette shook her head. "So, I think he's given up for the moment."

Cat Noir grinned at her. "Sounds like it. Thanks for letting me know."

"Yeah, of course." She hesitated, rubbing her arm.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Adrien."

"Adrien?"

"I know you wanted to tell him your identity, but I'm worried about him. Alya's already accused him of being you once, and that really seemed to scare him. And now, I guess I'm just really worried that people might target him if they notice any more of a connection between you." Marinette met his eyes, "Please protect him, Cat Noir."

Somewhere during her spiel, Cat Noir's mouth had fallen open. It took him a minute after she had finished to close it again, shaking his head. He started to say something, chuckled, and stopped again. Finally, he just took a seat next to her, and put a hand on her shoulder, "Friend to friend, Marinette, I swear to you: as long as I'm up and kicking, Adrien will be fine."

Marinette threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

"Of course, and listen." He pulled back from her, "If we, Ladybug and I, and by extension you, decide that Adrien would make a good secret keeper for me, we're not just going to throw him into it head first, okay? I'll talk to him personally, and make certain that he understands all the risks before I reveal anything. You don't have to worry about him."

"Thanks, Cat Noir." Marinette swiped at one of her cheeks. Something on her fingers sparkled. Somehow, despite her shower, some of the silver glitter from Adrien's hair had lingered. "Oh, I thought I'd washed all this off. I'm sorry if I send you home covered in sparkles, Cat Noir. I was teasing Adrien about the glitter in his hair earlier, and I guess it's true what they say about how you can never really get rid of it."

"Hey, uh, no worries." He chuckled awkwardly. "I'll just blame him instead of you."

"I'm not sure that's fair. He didn't have a choice in being glitter-fied, but I did when I teased him."

"You, you really care about him, don't you?" Cat Noir asked softly.

"Yeah, I do. I," Marinette felt her cheeks heat, and suddenly she couldn't be honest with him, not completely. "I think of him as a very good friend."

"Thank you, Marinette." Cat Noir stood and drifted back toward the open window. He paused and looked back at her. "Before I go, can I ask you one last personal question?"

"Yeah, sure."

"You told me once you had your heart broken. I was wondering if that was still true." He shifted from one foot to the other. "Like, if you still love him."

"Yeah, I do."

"Can I ask why? What makes him so special to you?"

"It's hard to explain." She shrugged. "I mean, I've tried to move on, at least a little, but everytime I do, he just,"

"He just?" Cat Noir came back to her slowly.

"Well, he's kind." She looked up at him. He stood so close that if she tried to get to her feet, she'd probably have to cling to him to keep from losing her balance.

She swallowed. Why did her brain have to phrase it like that? There was something, between the semi-dark room, and his proximity and quieted tone, that made the entire conversation seem far too intimate. Far too similar to the conversation she'd had with Adrien about _him_. She shook her head to clear it, "Um, he has a lot of other great qualities too, but his kindness always gets me."

"So you spend a lot of time with him then?"

"Yeah, sort of."

"Will you tell me a little more about him?" He finally sat back down next to her causing her to sigh in relief. Cat Noir misunderstood and immediately brought his hands up, "Sorry, I'm not trying to intrude, I'm just curious."

"No, it's okay." She smiled at him, "Aa, uh, I mean, my friend, that is, he's very smart. But it's not just that he's smart, he's also sedulous. Like some of it is natural skill, but some of it is how hard he studies. And he's brave. He'll run from akuma if he has too, but he does at least try to help people."

"He sounds," Cat Noir stopped short, and whirled towards the door, ears wiggling. Then, finger pressed to his lips, he scooted around her to crouch behind her bed.

Marinette froze, her heart pounding. Best case scenario, Adrien caught Cat Noir in her room and had a few questions for her. Worst case, what? Mr. Agreste found the two of them together and threw her out for being a bad influence on his son? Probably. That would probably be the worst case, although she didn't much relish Natalie finding them together either.

After a moment, Cat Noir got back to his feet, "It sounds like she's headed on upstairs, but we probably shouldn't press our luck."

"Definitely." She walked him to the window. "Good night, Cat Noir."

"Good night, my Marinette, and thank you for indulging me." He bowed. "It's been nice, and it's given me hope."

"Hope?"

"Yeah, uh," He rubbed the back of his neck, "I've been struggling with my own affections, and somehow hearing what you had to say about the guy you like helped. Like, it's exactly how I feel about Ladybug. It reminds me of why I love her."

"O-kay." She frowned at his visable wince. "I don't know what you're actually up to, but I trust you, Cat Noir."

"Thank you." He smiled. Rather impulsively, he then leaned forward and kissed her temple. "I appreciate everything you've said to me tonight."

"I!" But Marinette had nothing to say.

Cat Noir chuckled as he hopped up to the window sill, "Good night then, Marinette."

And he left, traces of the glitter Marinette had accidentally spread to his hair winking at her as he darted away.


	37. A Similar Kind of Love

"Wait, so let me get this straight. Since you've asked Marinette what to look for, you think you're going to be able to track down this boy based solely on her description of him. But, being in love with him, the description she's given you is: kind, smart, and brave. That's your criteria. That's how you're going to track down the boy that she admittedly loves." Plagg snickered. "Am I right?"

"He also likes asparagus." Adrien knew he sounded defensive when he said it, but Plagg was right. He still didn't technically have a lot to go on.

"And that's definitely gonna be the key to the whole thing." Plagg out right laughed. "Should we get you a glass shoe to try on his foot as well?"

"They spend a lot of time together!"

"Which might be significant if Marinette wasn't friends with EVERYONE."

"Plagg, I'm trying here, okay?" Adrien pulled his towel out of his bag, and set it next time him on the bench, making enough space for his clothes. "Will you just help me think this through?"

"Alright, alright, let's go over his description again. He is kind, smart, brave, likes asparagus, and he's been spending a lot of time with Marinette." Plagg tapped his mouth thoughtfully with one paw, "Wait! I've got it!"

Adrien looked up hopefully.

"It's you."

"Plagg!" For a moment, he genuinely believed that Plagg was ready to take this seriously. He really should have known better. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, sure. But for the record, I think I've figured out why so many people view Ladybug as the leader between the two of you, Don Quixote."

"Because she is." He shrugged. It didn't bother him that people saw her as the leader of their partnership when she just about had to be.

As Cat Noir, Adrien knew that he could be sacrificed, but she couldn't, not if he wanted to be able to fix things. He also firmly believed that Ladybug would always save him if something went wrong. He couldn't risk her though, or he might lose her forever. "So, do you actually have an idea, or are you just going to keep teasing me?"

Plagg's expression flattened to annoyed disbelief, but before he could speak, the locker room door open. Adrien wordlessly pointed to his bag, and the kwami vanished into it.

"So he's really coming?" A young voice demanded.

"That's what he said." Nino replied.

Adrien grinned and headed around the row of lockers so he could see them. "Hey Chris, I heard you missed me."

"ADRIEN!" Nino's little brother sprinted to Adrien at full speed.

Adrien dropped to his knees and caught the eight year old up in a hug. "It's good to see you too, buddy."

"Are you going to swim with us today? You and me and Nino and Nathaniel?"

"I'm wearing my suit, aren't I?" Adrien teased, standing back up and crossing his arms. "Marinette's here too. She's just getting changed in the girl's locker room."

"I'll go get changed too." Chris charged around him.

"Thanks, dude. I know that meant a lot to him." Nino grinned, "He's been worried about our friendship all week."

"Anytime." Adrien high fived him, "I'll wait for you three and we can all rinse off together before we head in."

"Alright." Nino nodded.

Chris finished changing before the two teens did, and came over to where Adrien sat on the locker room bench, drinking water. "Hey Adrien? Since you and Marinette are spending time together now, can you come over when we're hanging out too, or do you need alone time like Alya and Nino?"

"Uh, Marinette and I aren't hanging out like Nino and Alya yet, so no alone time needed." Adrien shrugged, "But I would need to get permission from both Marinette and my father before I can just come over."

"Okay." Chris nodded, "I'll ask Marinette, and you ask your dad, then we can all play big kid stuff together."

He took off at a run just as Nino walked up to them, grinning. "You do realize what you just said to him, right?"

"Huh?"

"Marientte and I aren't hanging out together," Nino chuckled, "yet?"

"Ah!" Adrien jumped to his feet, "Chris! Wait!"

"You two need to rinse off!" Nathaniel called after them.

Adrien caught up to Chris in the pool area just as he had reached Marientte. "Hey Marinette!"

"Chris, we need to rinse off, buddy."

"But I was going to ask,"

Adrien cut him off, "We'll ask her together, after we get rinsed off. How about that?"

"Okay," Chris sighed. "Will you wait for us, Marinette?

"Of course, I will." She chuckled. "I'll be right here."

"Right, uh, we'll be back." Adrien nodded and led Chris back to boys' locker room.

Nino and Nathaniel already stood beneath running shower heads. Nathaniel offered Adrien his place while Nino gestured for his brother. Over Chris's head, Adrien mouthed the words, 'Help me.' Nino nodded, chuckling.

When they headed back into the pool room, Nino got to Marinette first, "Hey Marinette, how much of an extra favor would it be to have you babysit my buddy, Adrien, in addition to Chris?"

Marinette, to Adrien's surprise, giggled. "That depends, how well will the two of them behave?"

"I don't know, Adrien?" Nino looked back to him.

Marinette followed his gaze and went scarlet when her eyes landed on Adrien standing by the locker room door. Adrien felt for her a little, but couldn't resist continuing the joke. "I promise to be a very good boy."

"Me too! I promise too, Marinette! Please can't he come over too?" Chris cried, grabbing at her arm.

Her cheeks didn't lose their adorable pink shade, but Marinette otherwise recovered. She smiled down at him, "Chris, I don't ever mind Adrien coming over, but there are times when he won't be able to because he stays very busy. So, as long as you and I can agree that neither of us will get too disappointed when he can't come, I'll ask him over each time. Okay?"

"Okay!"

"Well, now that that's settled," Nino grinned, "Let's get you in the water."

"With no one else in there?" Chris took a step back away from his brother.

Nathaniel sighed, then he turned and sprinted full force toward the pool.

"Hey! No running!" A girl called.

Nathaniel, already airborne, ignored her. He brought up his knees and wrapped his arms around them just before he hit. The resulting splash sprinkled water droplets over Nino, Chris, and Marinette, who all laughed and shied back.

He emerged, shaking water out of his darkened red hair, "Okay, Chris, meet me in the shallow end."

Chris started to run toward the shallow end, but Marinette caught his hand and walked with him to the stairs. Nino waited for Adrien. "Thanks again, dude. And remind me to thank Marinette too."

"It's not a problem, Nino. What are best buds for?" Adrien smiled, watching Marinette steer Chris slowly into the water where Nathaniel waited for them. "She really has a way with him, doesn't she?"

"Marinette? Yeah, she's looked after him and the twins quite a bit for Alya and me. Unfortunately, it seems like she's been getting busier." Nino frowned, pausing, "And the excuses are getting weirder, like she's got something she's trying to hide. It kind of worries us a little."

"What do you think it is?"

"I dunno, I'd accuse her of having a secret boyfriend but we all know she's got a crush on,"

"Hey! Are you two going to get here this year?" Chris called to them.

"Oh sorry! Yeah, we're coming." Nino hurried forward.

"Nino, wait." Adrien grabbed his arm, but continued moving along side of him, "What were you saying? You know who Marinette has a crush on?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I do. Forget I said anything though." Nino winced. "Alya will literally murder me if she finds out I told you."

"Would it help if I said I only wanted to help?"

Nino stopped to stare at him. Then he burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Chris demanded.

"Nothing." Adrien shook his head at his still chuckling friend and stalked to the side of the pool. "Nino's just giving me a hard time."

The teens decided to teach Chris the basics of floating first. Adrien started the lesson by having Nino float while Marinette carefully dragged him through water with a single hand pressed to his back. Chris watched this display in amazement, fully engaged on Adrien's lesson in buoyancy. He eventually agreed to try floating himself, but only if his brother or Adrien would support him. Slowly, they managed to convince him that as long as he had air in his lungs, he could float on his own.

The first time he stayed up without Nino or Adrien holding him, Chris burst into giggles, twisted to his feet, and hugged all of them in turn, asking for praise. He still took quick sharp breaths, instead of long steady ones, but he had improved enough in their minds for a second lesson. He resisted anything that put his face in the water, so, at Nathaniel's suggestion, they taught him the backstroke. When he had gotten comfortable enough with that, the four teens stood in a jagged line, and let him swim to each of them in turn and back again.

After the three hour swim lesson, Nino offered to treat his friends to lunch. Adrien accepted the invitation, but tried to decline Nino's offer to pay for him or Marinette, knowing it would come out of his friend's own pocket money. Nino insisted that it was a thank you. He even led them to an American-styled food truck stationed outside of a park and bought each of them a hot dog.

Chris prattled on in excitement as they strolled through the park, nibbling at their food. "It was so cool. Did you see me? I moved so fast! I was like ZOOM!"

"You swam just like a big kid." Nathaniel nodded.

Chris turned to stare at him for a moment, wide eyed, before sprinting back to hug him. "I'm so glad you live with us now."

"Uh," Nathaniel gulped.

He looked to Nino, who knelt by Chris, "Chris, Nathaniel was only going to stay with us for a week remember? He's going home tomorrow."

"But he's our friend now, he can't just leave!"

"His parents will miss him if he doesn't go home."

"Well, they can come see him then. They can come on like, other weekends or something. But we can't just give him back now! He's ours!" Chris's grip on Nathaniel's waist tightened.

"Hey Chris?" Adrien hooked his thumbs into his back pockets. "I think I agree. I don't want the project to end either."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but if I kept Marinette, you'd only be able to see her as often as you see me."

"But we almost never see you!" Chris wailed.

"I know, buddy."

"But that's not fair!"

"It is if you're keeping Nathaniel." Marinette crouched by Chris's otherside. "If we try to continue the project then I need to stay with Adrien."

Chris turned and buried his face in Nathaniel side. "But I want you both. And Adrien."

"What if," Nathaniel hesitated, "Chris, what if we still got to see each other sometimes? A lot of times my parents aren't at home right when I get home, so I stay in the art room after school. If it's okay with your parents, I bet you could talk your brother into letting you visit him at the collège once in a while, after school. Then we could all hang out in the art room together. Does that sound okay?"

"The art room?"

"Yep. It's a really nice place. Alix spray paints, Rose and Juleka work on their music, and Nino can practice his mixing skills."

"Nino, can we?"

Nino straightened his hat, nodding. "Sure we can."

"And Marinette can come?"

"I already do sometimes." Marinette smiled, "but if you let me know what days your coming, I'll do my best to be there."

Chris looked at Adrien, but he was already shaking his head, "I'm sorry, Chris. I doubt my father would let me get away that often."

Chris nodded. "Okay, but we'll still see you sometimes?"

"Sometimes, you will."

As Chris asked for more details about the art room, Adrien used the space to think. Tomorrow afternoon, Marientte would go home. Part of him wanted to capitalize on this time with her, make the most of their last evening together. Part of him wanted to retreat into self-pity. The rest of him desperately wanted to go back to studiously ignoring that tomorrow would eventually come.

This time last week, he'd been sitting behind Marinette at Mr. Haprele's show, too annoyed with Luka to focus on the performance. Not that the older boy had known it, but in Adrien's mind, he'd had some absolute gall to have brushed a ladybug off of Marinette's shoulder just before the performance started. Adrien had seen the small bug himself, but hadn't touched it, not with such clear symbolism. Marinette was under Ladybug's protection.

He shook his head. This was not what he wanted. He didn't need nostalgia, anger, or self-pity. It wasn't like Marinette was going to suddenly die on him. She was just going home. He'd still see her in class. Besides, he had friends outside of her too.

He had Nino and Alya and their other classmates at school. He had his mother's friends from the shop. He had Luka, once every other week. He also had Ladybug several evenings a week, regardless of akuma attacks. Isn't that why he loved her?

Adrien choked. No. He didn't just love his Lady out of convenience. That would be stupid. He loved her because she was brave and clever, sassy and kind.

But did she like asparagus?

Adrien froze. No. No, that was ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous, as Chloe would say. But then again, just how much could the Miraculous change someone? Could it just reveal someone's true self like that? Would it matter if it had?

No. He decided. To him, his lady would always be his lady, and he would continue to think of her that way until she told him different.

With his mind settled on that front, he remembered that Marinette had referred to the unmasked Ladybug as a girl. So, regardless of who Ladybug was, she couldn't be the boy Marinette loved. The adjectives were just similar.

He sighed. Plagg was right, he really had given himself an impossible task.

Adrien looked at Marinette. She giggled at something Nathaniel had said. No, not impossible, just difficult, but he would succeed eventually. Until then, he'd be the best friend he knew how to be. He would make certain she was happy.

And with that in mind, tomorrow didn't seem so bad.


	38. The White Knight

**Hey All!**

 **Remember a couple of chapters ago, when I said I would need to switch perspectives a lot near the end? Well, that hour is upon us, my friends.**

 **Cheers,**

 **SG**

* * *

Marinette slammed shut the stall door and threw herself against it. She exhaled hard. Tikki floated up to her cheek, hovered just on the periphery of her vision, but didn't speak. They listened to girls enter and exit the restroom in idle conversation. Finally, Marinette looked at her kwami. "This is it. It all ends this period."

"No more late night conversations or playful teasing." Tikki nodded.

"Yep." Marinette swallowed. "I guess we need to get it over with, but,"

"It'll be okay, Marinette."

"I know." She shook her head. "I just wish I could take him home with me again. That there was just a little more time."

"I know." Tikki smiled at her, "But I promise, he isn't as alone as you think."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm," The kwami settled on her shoulder. "He has you."

"I guess that's true." Marinette managed a wobbly smile for her friend. "Shall we do this?"

Tikki nodded and darted back into her bag.

Marinette found Adrien waiting for her outside the girl's restroom. He smiled at her, but didn't seem to have much to say. In fact, neither of them had had much to say to the other all morning. When he offered his hand, however, she took it, and they walked to class in a considerably lighter silence.

"Marinette, Adrien, Mylene, Sabrina, Chloe, Kim, is that everyone?" Ms. Bustier looked around her classroom, "Excellent. So, the first thing I'd like to do is hand back your tests and go over them. I want you all to know that I am very pleased with the overall curve. Then we're going to take class out to the courtyard. I've contacted all of your parents and asked them to come by today so we can discuss how the project went for everyone. Alright? So, please take your seats."

Marientte looked around the classroom.

Chloe and Kim both seemed to be pretty cheerful. Sabrina had wrapped an arm around one of Mylene's, but they were both facing forward. Alix quietly slid her phone to Max, who snickered behind a hand at whatever she'd just shown him. Rose notice Marinette looking her way and preened, showing off the smock she'd been given, now filled with crafting supplies.

Marinette gave her a thumbs up, but made a mental note about how the weight of the supplies adjusted the drape of the garment. She would need to fix that.

Ms. Bustier redrew her attention by setting her test face down on the edge of her desk. "TB. Well done, Marinette."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Adrien, you too. Well done."

"Thank you."

As soon as Ms. Bustier passed them by, Marinette leaned over to Adrien, "Thank you for studying with me. I had a friend tell me he wanted a TB my next literature test, and now I can tell him I got one."

"Anytime." Adrien whispered back, grazing her inner arm with his fingers. "But let me know if he fails to celebrate properly with you after you give him the good news."

"Celebrate properly?"

"Ice cream, at least." Adrien grinned at her, "If he won't treat you, I'll find a way too."

She giggled. "I'll definitely let you know."

They waited for Ms. Bustier to make her way back to the front. Apparently, most of the class had gotten high marks, with the different partners all scoring within a point or two of each other. She told them the lowest two grades in the class had been high ABs, and while she wouldn't say who had earned that grade, Nino and Nathaniel both shifted uneasily and shared a glance.

"Alright everyone, when we get downstairs, I want you all to separate out with your families. Try to be on opposite sides of the courtyard from your partner and just talk over with your parents, and any siblings they've brought, about how you think these past two weeks went." Ms. Bustier told them, "Once you've all had a chance to do that, I have no objection to everyone separating into what groups you feel are appropriate as long as the project is still the main subject of discussion. Alright?"

"Yes, ma'am." The class chorused back.

"Good. Then there will be no objections when I have you all write papers about this next week." She teased, "Now, let's go."

Marinette followed Adrien out of the class and down the stairs. Her parents found them and immediately pulled them both into hugs. Her mom smiled, "It's so good to have you both back."

"Thanks, Ms. Cheng, but I actually need to go find my father or Natalie." Adrien drew back from her, "I'm supposed to talk to them before all of us can talk together."

"Okay," Her mother cupped his cheek. "But please do come back."

"I will. I promise." He leaned into her hand for a moment, then pulled back and walked away from them, out to the center of the courtyard.

"He really is a good kid." Her father smiled after Adrien. He sighed, turning to Marinette, "Alright, Sweetie. We're supposed to talk about the project. Anything in particular you want to discuss first?"

"Not really." Marinette shook her head.

"Are you sure, Marinette?" Her mom put a hand on her shoulder. "You look upset, did something happen?"

"Not really _something_." Marinette shook her head again. "It's just, look around. You're here. Alya's parents and Nora came out here to support her. Captain Anarka brought Luka here for Juleka. Nino's parents pulled Chris out of school to be here. There is Alix's father and older brother. Even Nathaniel's parents made it."

"Wait, Nathaniel is the redheaded artist kid, right?" Her dad asked. "Okay, I see them, but I'm not sure what you're trying to say."

"I know Adrien said something about his dad, but I seriously doubt he's expecting anyone more than Natalie. And don't get me wrong, Natalie is really nice and all, or at least she can be, but," Marinette shrugged a little helplessly. "She's also very much Mr. Agreste's assistant when she talks to Adrien."

"Um?" Her mother frowned, "I don't see Natalie anywhere. Do either of you?"

"What!?" Marinette stepped away from her parents and peered around. Her mother was right. No Mr. Agreste. No Natalie. Even Adrien's bodyguard hadn't made it. Adrien stood alone on the other side of the courtyard with his phone up to his ear. Without speaking, he looked at the screen and tapped it once with his thumb. He sighed and slid it back in his pocket, then he flagged down Ms. Bustier.

"Did they not make it," Her mother asked quietly. "At all?"

Marinette barely heard her. She watched as Adrien spoke to Ms. Bustier, as their teacher put a hand on his shoulder. She watched the sympathetic frown form.

Marinette closed her eyes. She had to suck in air to steady herself.

She missed Luka tapping his sister twice on the shoulder, as he walked past her. She missed Chris, tugging on his brother's hand and pointing to Adrien, and Nino adjusting his cap before he started towards his friend. She missed her own father skirting around her, frowning.

 _I promise, he isn't as alone as you think. He has you._

Marinette opened her eyes. Before her determination could conquer her heartache, the first scream sounded.

"AKUMA!"

Marinette whirled around. People all around her started to shout and grab at their loved ones. Several of her classmates pointed skyward. There, high above them, the small, dark purple butterfly wafted on some invisible breeze, then it dove directly for her.

* * *

"MARINETTE!" Adrien started to run. He watched the akuma pick up speed. He had to reach her first.

This was his fault. He knew it. It had to have been her heartache on his behalf that had drawn the thing to her. Now, she was in danger. Fury drove him forward. He could see her. He could see the thing that would hurt her. He wouldn't make it. He couldn't save her. The akuma wheeled back. He had made it. He roared, swinging his bag to swat the accursed thing out of the sky.

People around him screamed.

It didn't matter.

The bag connected and a familiar yet unknown presence filled his mind.

* * *

Hawkmoth felt his akuma connect. He trickled into a consciousness that felt both completely foreign and striking familiar. He knew exactly who it belonged to and saw this turn of events as unfortunate.

He had known this project would be an awful idea. He had known, and yet, against his better judgement, he'd allowed himself to hope. Never again.

His akuma had stalked the girl off and on for the last half hour, as her heartbreak had swelled and waned, and this time he thought he finally had her. Then in the final second, pure rage had led the akuma to a new target. Someone who never should have been vulnerable to such an attack.

He had done his best to keep Adrien both carefully sheltered and accustomed to disappointment. Safe from the world and immune to akumas and heartbreak, that had been Gabriel's plan for his son. If Adrien got use to disappoint, then it would be hard to find its peak. If he suffered a roll of smaller heartbreaks, then he wouldn't shatter like Gabriel had when they'd lost Emilie.

But Adrien, it seemed, took after his mother a bit too much. His loyalty had left him vulnerable. So now, Hawkmoth had a choice. He could risk Adrien and his own identity if Adrien recognized just who was in head, or he could show a type of favoritism he never had before by withdrawing his akuma.

Ladybug and Cat Noir would save his son if they won, and Adrien wouldn't remember anything that happened while he was under the akuma's influence. There was also no guarantee that Adrien, in his enraged state, would recognize the voice in his head, or that he'd say anything aloud if he did. But people would definitely notice if Hawkmoth withdrew the akuma without even giving it a chance.

Besides, there was always the chance that his own son would be the one to finally succeed.

Hawkmoth sighed, "Forgive me, Emilie."

* * *

"ADRIEN!" Marinette sprinted forward. She knew she wasn't the only one to do so, but she couldn't spare enough focus for anyone else in that moment. Adrien needed her. Had sacrificed himself for her after she'd stupidly drawn the akuma. In her head she chanted; don't turn, don't turn, don't turn. She passed Rose, slowing only enough to wrench the girl's scissors out of her smock, ripping the gauze fabric.

Adrien stood bent over his messenger bag, both hands wrapped around the strap. Fear and regret were painted into his half glazed expression, and his eyes begged for release. He shuddered, and the closer Marinette got, the more she realized that he had focused all of his strength in his hands.

He's trying to let go. She realized. She'd seen Hawkmoth take other victims before, and there was usually a battle of wills involved. The victim focused inward for that mental battle. Adrien didn't appear to be having a conversation, or even an argument, internal or otherwise. He just looked scared.

Marinette skidded to a stop, crashing into him only slightly. She wrapped her arm through both of his, and sliced through the strap on his bag. Adrien collapsed against her, both of them letting go of the bag together. Something, someone, slammed into the two of them. The akuma went airborne.

"Come on, get up! Get up both of you!" Nino shouted in her ear, rolling off of her, and yanking both of them to their feet.

All around them, people were running, screaming.

"You get away from my brother! Stay away from Adrien and Marientte!" Chris wailed.

It took Marinette a minute to spot the boy in the crowd. The akuma had changed course, heading straight toward him.

"Chris!" Nathaniel crashed into the eight year old. Wide eyed and trembling, Nathaniel forced Chris behind him and backed away from the butterfly.

"Nath!" Alix ripped free of her father's grip.

The akuma spiraled up and back toward her.

"Alix! No!" Max had been on the other side of the courtyard, but he still charged forward. The akuma changed targets again.

"C'mon!" Nino yanked at the back of Marinette's jacket, pushing her toward Adrien. "You need to get him out of here. I gotta help Nathaniel and Chris!"

She nodded and grabbed Adrien's arm, yanking him toward a side door. Distantly, her brian followed the calls and cries of her friends as they tried to keep the akuma distracted. As they tried to keep it from hitting someone they cared about.

She tugged Adrien out of the school building. "C'mon, c'mon!"

They stumbled outside, and Marinette yanked him along behind her.

"Let me go, Marinette." He pulled back from her. "You don't have time for me right now. You need to contact Ladybug. We need her."

"Adrien,"

"Now Marinette!" He shivered, meeting her eyes. "Please go call her. They need her in there before someone gets hurt. I'll be fine. I swear it. Just go."

She nodded. He was right. She didn't have time to waste wondering how he'd discovered her secret, and she didn't have time to tend to him the way she would have any other victim.

She tore away from him, running for all she was worth.

* * *

The minute that Marinette fled, Adrien ducked into a doorway and transformed. He would have to explain himself later, to Ladybug if no one else, but right now, the people inside the school needed his help.

He took a running leap and catapulted to the top of the school by planting and extending his staff. He didn't land smoothly by any means, but he had too much else on his empty mind to care. He spirinted forward, listening to the voices still shouting in the courtyard. They took on a sudden new fever.

"No!"

"It's too late! Run!"

"It got him! It got him!"

"Luka NO!"

Cat Noir reached the edge of the roof and jumped.

Luka crouched in almost the center of the courtyard. He held his right hand out and away from him by the forearm, as though it were diseased. He trembled and wretched, his eyes squeezed shut. Half snarling, half imploring, he moaned, "No, no, please."

Luka's collapsed to his knees. His face relaxed. He sighed, then chuckled. The black ooze started on the leather bracelet on his wrist and bubbled its way to his torso.

Cat Noir hit the ground on his feet.

Luka, almost completely enveloped, stood up.

Cat Noir shot forward.

The ooze boiled away, leaving Luka in pure white knight's regalia.

"Cataclysm!"

The White Knight threw up his left arm, backpedaling. Mistake. Cat Noir latched onto him with his free hand and ducked beneath the arm, tagging the gleaming gauntlet that had formed in place of the leather bracelet. The gauntlet darkened and rusted off the Knight's arm. Still holding onto the Knight, Cat Noir kicked at the remains. The akuma fluttered free of them. Before he could grab it and shred the abhorrent creature, Ladybug's yo-yo snapped it up.

"I, what?" Luka mumbled, falling against him. "What happened?"

"Nothing. You're safe now."

"I think that's a record." Ladybug called, releasing the akuma, "Even for us."

She smiled down at him, backlit by bright sunlight. He couldn't look at her without struggling to breathe. How had he screwed up so colossally? He knew there had to have been a thousand other ways to save Marinette from that akuma, but he hadn't been thinking.

Now, he kept his emotions carefully in check. He focused more on observing his surroundings and reacting to them, ignoring his inner struggle. He inhaled deeply, "Look, I'm sorry. I'll explain everything tonight, but I've got to go. Can you handle this?"

"Of course." She sounded so sure. "I'll summon a Lucky Charm so I can set off the Miraculous Ladybugs. They should still be able to fix things."

"Thank you."

She landed in the courtyard, not far from him. "Are you okay, Kitty?"

"Yes. I will be."

"Okay. Then I'll meet up with you tonight. The usual place."

"Goodbye, Ladybug." He didn't wait for her reply, but took two long steps and planted his staff. As soon as his feet touched the school roof, he slid weapon back into its holster and ran for all he was worth, jumping to the next building with no issue. Cat Noir stayed parallel to the main road, racing along and thinking of nothing. Finally, he scampered down the side of a building to duck behind a dumpster. With his back to the wall, he took a moment to just breathe. Marinette was safe. Ladybug was safe. And he...

Was standing in an ally by himself, about to de-transform. He let his clock run out, catching Plagg with both hands when it did. Holding a finger to his lips, he let the kwami float and pulled out his cell-phone. Adrien tapped in one of the few numbers he knew by heart.

It answered on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hey." He took one more deep breath and opened his shirt for Plagg. "Can you come get me?"

"Of course." No question or resentment, just a warming assurance. Of course.


	39. Passionfruit

Marinette filled the last vase with lollipops. Then she checked her phone again. It hadn't gone off yet, but it felt like an eternity had passed since she'd left Adrien's side to transform. Why had she done it? Why had she just left him there?

After the fight, if it could even be called that, she had returned to school. Adrien had not. She wanted to look for him, but her worried parents had sent her home to watch the bakery in relative safety. At least they were doing something. They had both promised to text her as soon as they knew anything, but her phone hadn't gone off yet.

She tried Adrien's number again. It went straight to voicemail. Again.

Someone opened the door behind her, chiming the little bell. She turned, "Adrien?"

"Not quite, although I'll take it as a compliment." Julien grinned at her. His gaze softened as he took in her expression, "Oh no, not you too. Are you okay?"

"No." She shook her head. "There was an akuma attack at the school today and it hit Adrien, but we saved him, but now he's missing."

"Adrien is at the shop."

"What? Really? Are you sure?"

"Positive. I just came from there."

Marinette sniffed hard and ran the two steps to Julien, flinging her arms around his waist. She felt him gasp and stiffen in surprise, but after a second or two, he hugged her back. "It's okay, Sweetling. Adrien is fine, just a little down. In fact, I came here to get him some comfort food."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I don't know if you've ever been here before, but they've got some killer passionfruit macarons." Julien searched his pockets and came up with a small, mostly square, piece of fabric, "Here, you can wipe your eyes."

"Um, thank you. Could you please give me a minute?" She sent a mass text to her parents, Luka, Nora, and any of the other searchers she had numbers for; that Adrien had been found. "Okay. I'm sorry, I just wanted to let everyone know he's okay."

"Everyone?"

"Most of my classmates were talked into going back to class, but my parents, and a lot of their parents, are out looking for him."

Julien sighed, shaking his head. "Let me see your phone for a minute."

Marinette gave it to him. He typed in something quickly then passed it back. "There, that's my number. If something like this ever happens again, just give me a call. Okay?"

Marinette nodded again and swiped at her eyes with Julien's makeshift handkerchief. "Thank you again."

"Of course. And thanks for giving me an idea about what happened. Adrien hadn't said anything about it yet, and I think none of us wanted to pry, but he was pretty clearly upset."

"It was all my fault. Mr. Agreste didn't come, and Adrien was all alone, and I,"

"No." Julien cut her off. "Unless you personally called Hawkmoth up on the phone, and asked him to send that akuma or intentionally tried to trigger it by, I dunno, stabbing somebody or something, it is not your fault."

She shook her head. "No, I just got upset that he was all alone, and Adrien tried to save me. That's why it hit him."

"Then it sounds like to me, that you both need extra cookies." Julien grinned, "C'mon. Help me complete my purchase, and you can come back to the shop with me. We'll take care of you both."

"Okay." Marinette nodded, "You said Passionfruit?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised Sabine isn't down here, but there's probably a bell around here somewhere." He looked around before frowning at the bell above the door. He reached up and tapped it twice, causing it chime.

Marinette giggled and shook her head. Then she moved around the counter to find a macaron box.

"Marinette, what are you doing!?" Julien started after her, pausing on the customer side of the counter.

"Getting you macarons."

His mouth fell open but before he could say anything more, her mother came in. "Marinette! You said someone found him?"

"Yeah mom, this is,"

"Mom?" Julien interrupted, frowning back at her mother.

"Oh, Julien. Hello." Her mother nodded. "I'm sorry, I hope you can forgive us a moment, but this important. One of Marinette's friends is missing."

"If you mean Adrien, he's not missing." Julien shook his head, sounding a little dazed. "He called us to come get him. In fact, he's why I'm here."

Her mother stopped to stare at him. "Wait, _Adrien_ is the one who liked our macarons all this time?"

"Yeah, that first one you gave him completely turned him on to them." Julien shook his head, "I didn't realize Marinette was your daughter. Small world, huh?"

"Very." She laughed. "I'm just glad Adrien's okay. Has Marinette gotten your order?"

"Sabine? Did you get Marinette's text? Someone found," Her father pushed through the front door and paused, "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize we had a customer. Hello, Julien."

"Hello Tom."

"Marinette, do you have his? Oh good. All passionfruit, right?"

"Yes, Papa." She nodded, setting the box on the counter.

"Oh good. Great, I mean. Um, I'm sorry, Julien, but could you give us a moment?"

"Sure." Julien chuckled.

"Thanks. Now, Marinette, you said someone found Adrien, is he okay? Does he need somewhere to stay? He can come here if his father or Natalie or whoever isn't home."

"Julien has him, dear, and says he's fine." Her mother interjected gently, "In fact, he's the one the macarons have been for all these years."

"Well, they've been for the shop, but I'd be lying if I said he didn't eat more than his fair share."

"Oh! I didn't realize." Her father shook his head, "I'm glad he's okay. Can we get you anything? I mean, anything else?"

"No, this will be fine."

Julien reached for his back pocket, but her father stopped him, handing him the box. "Please. It's on us this time. Just look after Adrien. We're worried about him."

"Will do and thank you. I'll make sure to buy double next time." Julien nodded. He gave Marinette one of his two fingered salutes, "Marinette, you have my number. Call me if you're ever worried about him, and I'll check in, okay? And come to the shop if ever want to chit-chat. If we're not swamped, we'll even help you look over some of your designs."

"Thank you."

"I'm glad he's found you again right when he needed you."

"Thanks, I," She nodded habitually, then realized exactly what he'd said and frowned, "Wait, what?"

"Don't worry about it." He shook his head, chuckling, and headed for the door.

Marinette darted around the counter and hugged him one last time. This time, Julien was prepared and hugged her back, "This is for him, yeah? I'll make sure he gets it."

"Thanks, Julien."

"Anytime, Sweetling."

Marintte watch him head down to the subway entrance. When he disappeared from sight, she turned back to her parents. "Is it okay if I head up to my room? It's been a really exciting day, and I think I need a nap."

"I think that's a good idea." Her mother answered, "We'll call the school, and let them know that we're keeping you at home for the rest of the day."

"And I'll come up in a little bit and bring you some lunch if you're awake." Her father nodded.

"Thanks." She hugged them both.

When she got to her room, she spared a glance up at her bed, but remembered that her cat pillow had been left in her locker along with her suitcase. She sighed and crawled onto her lounge. Her lounge pillow smelled like pomegranates.

She sighed again.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Tikki settled down on the pillow next to her.

"Yeah, I guess so." She curled onto her side. "Adrien knew."

"What?"

"Adrien knew. He told me to contact Ladybug."

Tikki looked troubled. "Maybe he thought you could contact Ladybug because you've used that excuse before. Like when you made it off the Liberty and told Luka you'd contacted yourself."

"Have I used that excuse on him before though?" Marinette asked, "And do you think anyone else has put it together? That I know how to get a hold of Ladybug?"

"I don't know, Marinette. I don't think so." Tikki shook her head, "And I can't remember if you've ever used that excuse on Adrien before or not."

"Is it bad that I don't mind?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't mind that Adrien knows." Marinette rolled onto her back, studying her ceiling without really seeing it. "I don't think I ever would have revealed my secret to him willingly, but now that he has it, I trust him."

"So, are you okay with Cat Noir talking to him then?"

Marinette sat up. "What if he did already?"

"Do you really think he would do that without telling you?"

"I mean, Adrien knew I could summon Ladybug, and Cat Noir said he would explain." Marinette shook her head, "What else would there be to explain?"

Marinette's phone jingled. She checked it, "It's a text from Alya, she says she heard I wasn't coming back to school today, and she understands why, but she wants to remind me that today was a good thing, even if it sucked for Adrien and me."

Marinette and Tikki frowned at each other, so Marinette shot Alya back a question mark. After another moment or two, her phone jingled again.

Marinette read the message and smiled up at Tikki. "She said they managed to bounce that akuma around a few times before it settled on Luka. Also, we found out how easily someone can be freed from an akuma if it hasn't taken ahold yet. That one is thanks specifically to Adrien and me."

"So, I guess the project was a success then?"

"I guess so." Marinette tucked her phone back into her pocket. "Now I just need to talk Cat Noir."

"About the project?"

"No, not really. I want to know why he was so upset today." Marinette got up and moved to sit at her computer. "Because if it's what I think, I think that maybe he told Adrien his identity, and now, with Adrien almost getting akumatized, he regrets it. If that's the case, then I want to tell him not to worry too much because I trust Adrien."

"What if he hasn't told Adrien yet?"

"Then I'll tell him the truth: that somehow, Adrien knows there's a connection between me, and well, me. Then I'll convince him to hold out on talking to Adrien, so he can see what'll happen with that himself."

"And if he decides that he's okay with Adrien knowing?"

"Then, as long as Master Fu doesn't object," She smiled over at her kwami, "I'll trust them."


	40. Claws In

**Hey all,**

 **This is it. The final chapter.  
** **You know, this is not the original ending that I had in mind? But RoseySparrow may have threat- I mean CONVINCED (pleasedontfillmyshoeswithcheese) me to consider a different ending. So, you know, feel free to thank or berate her at your leisure.**

 **Cheers,  
** **SG**

* * *

Cat Noir sat on the same railing he always did and waited. Usually the thought of Ladybug's imminent arrival cheered him, but tonight, not so much. He pulled the last macaron from his pocket. He spared it a glance before scarfing it down.

"That good?" Ladybug teased from behind him.

He choked, spitting out cookie crumbs. "Ladybug!"

"Sorry," She giggled.

"No, you're not."

"You're right, I'm actually not." She giggled harder, and he found it hard to not chuckle himself. She glided over to stand next to him, leaning on the rail. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah, but I'm not entirely sure where to start."

"Okay. Then I'll start. Adrien Agreste knows my secret."

"What!?"

"Earlier today, when he was almost akumatized, he told Marinette to get in touch with me. He knew she could do it."

"Oh, right." He sighed and whirled around so he could slide off the rail. "Yes, he knows. I'm sorry about that."

"Did you tell him about your secret too?"

"He knows it."

"I know it's a little scary, Kitty," Ladybug touched his shoulder, "but I'm pretty sure we can trust him."

Cat Noir stared at her. She trusted him? The civilian him? "How can you say that? Even Marinette doesn't trust him, and for good reason it seems."

"No." She shook her head, "I don't know what he told you about today, but,"

"That he stupidly tried to get himself akumatized?"

"Except he didn't." She insisted.

"He literally swung his bag at an akuma hoping to hit it."

"Hoping to save Marinette. Which he did!" Ladybug snapped, "I know his execution could have been better, but he was trying to keep Marinette safe. Which, given that he knew her secret, wasn't an unreasonable thing for him to do."

"He charged forward without a thought to the consequences."

"Cat Noir, you don't even have a ball of yarn to stand on when it comes to that kind of thing."

Cat Noir froze, "Did you just…"

Ladybug pursed her lips. For about half a second, they both held it together and then she giggled. He lost it, but he had badly needed the laugh. When he recovered, he found her smiling at him. "Feel better?"

"Yeah, I do." He nodded. "So, you're really not mad?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried." She stepped in close, "But, I think it'll be okay. I trust Adrien."

"Do you trust him the same way you trust Marinette, though?"

"Uh, sure."

"That did not sound convincing."

"Well, I've known Marientte longer." She shrugged.

Cat Noir considered for her a long moment. "If I asked you something, would promise to answer me truthfully, or tell me if you're unwilling to? No dancing around the question? No lying?"

Ladybug thought it over and nodded. "Yes."

"What are your feelings on Adrien exactly?"

She looked away, frowning.

"Please, Mi'lady." He knew he sounded awfully close to begging, but he couldn't muster up the dignity to care. It'd been a long day, and he was still angry with himself. "I need to know."

"I love him."

The answer was simple enough. Except it wasn't. He had been looking for exoneration, but love? It was all he had ever wanted from her. But it wasn't for him. It was for Adrien, the pretty, compliant shell his father had created.

Did she even know him? She'd always been so certain they couldn't know each other in real life, and yet, she claimed she loved him. Maybe they did know each other, and maybe she saw something in him that he'd missed himself.

Looking around though, at the city, the skyline, the thousands of ads featuring his face, he knew what was more likely. She'd seen him, maybe even spoken to him, but there was no way she knew him. Not if she loved Adrien.

"So you're in love with the model." Cat Noir stepped back. He had to check himself. He didn't want to risk being akumatized twice in one day, but this hurt. "That figures. Every other girl who's seen his precious face is too."

"Don't!" Ladybug snapped. "Don't you dare! You don't _know_ him!"

"I think I,"

"No! No, you don't!" Angry tears glistened in her eyes. "Not if you can be so blasé about him!"

"I'm sorry then," He sighed. He didn't want her akumatized either, but he struggled to hide his resentment. "Why don't you tell me about how perfect he is."

"He's brave!" She replied. "Braver than me even."

Cat Noir started to cut in, but Ladybug pressed on. "He doesn't have the benefit of our super powers, but he's always willing to charge toward danger if it means helping someone who needs him. He actually saved _me_ once! When Riposte had me bested, he jumped in, unarmed, and yanked me out of the way."

He had forgotten he'd done that as Adrien. It had been so spur of the moment, and it had felt only natural to protect her.

"He's smart. He studies hard despite how busy they keep him with Chinese, and piano, and fencing, and everything. And he excels at all of it, because he's so diligent. He practices all the time."

Cat Noir stared at her. He hadn't expected any valid reasons for Ladybug's affection. After all, didn't Chloe and his other fans love him for his face and popularity? But here was the love of his life, insisting that he was brave, determined, and clever. Exactly how he saw her.

"And yes, he's pretty, okay? In fact, he's beautiful." She shook her head, "But he's also loyal, and he's incredibly kind."

"Kind?" Her rant started to remind him of Marinette, and how she saw the boy she loved. Maybe it was just natural to see the best in someone you love.

"That's what first drew me to him, his kindness." Ladybug looked out toward the city, but her gaze softened. "The first time we spoke, it was a misunderstanding. After that, I was rude to him, but he was still kind to me. He gave me his umbrella, not even two seconds after I snubbed him, because he saw that I needed one, and he took the time to clear the air between us. _That_ was the moment I fell in love with him."

Umbrella? But the only person he remembered giving an umbrella to was Marinette. The same Marinette that had been standing next to him when the first Ladybug had shown up to fight the first Timebreaker.

 _There's nothing odd or wrong with what you just said._

The first Ladybug.

Reality crashed on his head like a ton of bricks. The only time he'd ever seen Marinette and Ladybug in the same place, there had been two of them. A second Ladybug for Marinette to become.

No. He'd been with her for two whole weeks. If she were Ladybug, surely he would have figured it out before this? She would have had to come up with reasons to get away from him to transform.

Except they'd already been separated when the Liaison and The Mourner had struck. Then he'd been the one to send her away with the excuse of locking the side door on that fake akuma. And he'd gone to get her bo,

 _No_ , he realized.

He'd hijacked her excuse for leaving him on Mother Midas.

What else had he missed or discounted? The closet. He had known that stupid closet had no other entrances or exits, but he never saw Ladybug go in or Marinette come out. He had put Ladybug's emotional reaction to the bakery and the way her hands shook over the injured Tom Dupain down to overwhelming compassion. He had willfully, adamantly, rejected Marinette's one scored point against Kagami, even though Ladybug's name had screamed in his head. Looking back there were so very many other things that he had just,

Dismissed.

"No." He shook his head.

"What do you mean no? Everything I've told you is true, Cat Noir."

 _I've never lied to you about my feelings, Cat Noir. You're not just my partner, you really are my friend._

 _You're my friend, Cat Noir, I wouldn't lie to you about that._

How had he missed that? How had he failed to notice that Ladybug never worried about Marinette, despite Marinette knowing her secret? How had he not questioned it when Master Fu told him not to be concerned, despite his staunch insistence that they keep their identities a secret? And how many times had he noticed how easy things were with Marinette without ever realizing why?

 _You have the ability to be very perceptive, Adrien, but you have to give that perception meaning. Until you do, you're going to struggle._

Stupid freaking Luka, telling him that he loved both girls. Of course he did. Marinette was his Ladybug. It was so stupid. It was so beautifully stupid. His partner had been his partner this whole time.

He started to laugh.

"Cat Noir?"

He looked at her, at Ladybug, at Marinette hidden behind a little, polka dotted mask, and he remembered something else. "I should have settled the question of that ridiculous dream when I actually had the chance. And, I should have added my own name back on to that stupid list."

" _Excuse me_!?"

"The list. The one I was keeping? I didn't need to know my own identity. What I needed was to figure out who you were in love with so I could gift him to you. So I could use him to convince you to trust me with my own identity." Cat Noir shook his head, "I thought I was so clever when I came up with the idea. If only I could get you to trust me, I could keep you safe both as a civilian and as a hero. I never imagined the answer was me or that I ever would have wanted it to be."

"Kitty?" She searched his face, "What are you trying to say?"

"You're smarter than that, Marinette." It felt so good to say her name out loud. "You know exactly what I'm saying, it's just so stupidly unbelievable you don't want to."

She drew in air, her hands flying to her mouth. He watched the way her eyes darted back and forth. Then she glared at him. "But you were there for Volpina!"

"Queen of Illusions?" He took another step closer to her, and reached out, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. "How do you think I was so sure that the Adrien she dangled off the Eiffel Tower was a fake?"

"What about Gorzilla!? He didn't have any illusions!" She protested, "And you and Adrien were in the same place there too."

"So was Wayhem, my biggest fan, who was so _desperate_ to protect me. How much do you think it took to convince him that I was a coward? He destroyed that cut out of me he was carrying to take my place." He smiled, "And I didn't let you close to him once he had the helmet on, remember?"

"Oh!" She turned away pink cheeked, her breath quickening.

"All the stupid mistakes we've both made these past weeks," He chuckled softly, "Had we had any other partners, we might have been discovered on day one, but we were both struggling too hard to keep our own secrets."

"Isn't that what we were supposed to do?" She shook her head. "What happens now when one of us get akumatized or brainwashed?"

"We'll fix it." He soothed. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "We're not exactly green heroes anymore, Marinette. We've seen our best friends akumatized, our teachers, my father, and we've dealt with it all. And now, we know that akumas can be fought off. Whatever comes our way, we're partners, and we'll handle it."

"There is that." She admitted. She turned to him, not breaking his hold on her. "And there's always a chance that Master Fu will have some good advice for us, now that we know."

"Exactly."

"Besides, this does give me a chance to keep a promise I should have made."

"What promise, Mi'lady?"

With one hand on his shoulder and the other catching the back of his head, she kissed him. It was quick, too quick for him to react, and she pulled away flushing.

He blinked. "Before you say anything, that doesn't count."

"What?"

"I was surprised, you can't hold me to dream-standard level kissing when I'm surprised."

She burst out laughing. "Adrien."

"Also, I'm pretty sure you told me that I kissed you in your dream, and I think that's definitely something we should try."

"Adrien!"

"After all, how are we really going to know for certain that I can't make you forget my name, if we don't test everything under the same conditions?"

"Cat Noir! It's only going to be a surprise this time if you keep talking!"

"Oh, uh, well then. With permission, Mi'lady?" He teased. When she nodded, he pulled her closer. "Plagg, Claws in."

 _ **The End**_

* * *

 **So, initially, I thought I had this story all figured out. There were some things that I definitely wanted to do (The duel between Kagami and Adrien over Marinette was always going to happen.) and some things I had no idea were coming. (Luka got an early mention, and that was going to be it, no actual screen time, let alone making him the final akuma victim. Then we actually met him in Captain Hardrock, and well, that was that, as they say.)**

 **My initial plan didn't include a reveal between Marinette and Adrien, but rather Adrien and Alya, with her agreeing to never speak of what she knows. Ideally, that would've allowed it to fit somewhere squarely in season 2. But two things happened:**

 **First, a lot of things came up canonically that just shredded that ending, so I moved it forward, and had Marinette come to Adrien's rescue. Second, a couple of friends convinced me that after everything that's happened in this story, a major reveal was more than a little earned, both by the protagonists and the readers. And they were right.**

 **With all that said, I have a few special thanks to dole out. My brother, who will probably never see this, but he and his amazing wife but did some editing for me on my more difficult chapters before I met RoseySparrow. RoseySparrow, who quite generously offered to beta read and edit my work. CoffeeIsMyDrugOfChoice is another real world friend who had to put up with me reading to her, demanding her thoughts, and then bullying her into making a profile. (Yes, I'm actually very mean in real life.)**

 **Also, thank you to all of you who have spent your valuable time enjoying this story. Please know that your feedback has meant a lot to me, and every time I got an email about a new follower, favorite, or review, I read it immediately and saved it in a folder to keep. (And yes, I'm not naming names, but several of you come to mind as constant encouragers. I saw all your messages and I love you for it.)**

 **Thanks again, and I hope to see you on the next one.**

 **Cheers,  
** **SG**


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